LeBron James was heralded as The Chosen One when he was still in high school. He captivated the nation with his ability on the court and was expected to flip the fortunes of the NBA team that landed him. The pressure to perform was immense, but it didn’t faze him. On the contrary, he proclaimed that he’d live up to his billing and even perhaps surpass it during his rookie season.
Three weeks before the 2003 NBA Draft, James appeared on TNT’s Inside the NBA to talk about his future. The Cavaliers made it no secret that they’d be picking the forward first overall on draft night and the 18-year-old claimed he was looking forward to improving the team.
James, a dominant forward in high school, said he was prepared to take over as the Cavaliers’ starting point guard if the team asked him to. He wasn’t shying away from ball-handling responsibilities and confidently predicted that the team would finish higher in the standings than the previous campaign. He said,
“Wherever they need me to play, I think I can provide… I think for the Cavs, I’m going to make an impact immediately because I think our team couldn’t get any worse than last year. I’m just going to try make the biggest impact I can this year. Try to make my teammates better and also myself.”
18-year-old LeBron James joins Inside the NBA via satellite before the 2003 Draft [May 25th, 2003]
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True to his word, James made the team better immediately. The Cavaliers more than doubled their win total in the forward’s rookie season. It was a sign of things to come in Cleveland, as he turned the league’s laughing stock into a powerhouse.
LeBron James put Cleveland on the basketball map
The Cavaliers continued to improve each year after drafting James. After the forward took them from 17 wins in 2002 to 35 in 2003, he led them to 42 victories in his sophomore season. It ended Cleveland’s six-year streak of finishing the year with a losing record.
The following year, the Cavaliers won 50 games in the regular season and advanced past the first round in the playoffs for the first time in 12 seasons. In the 2006-07 season, James carried them to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history but was helpless in stopping the Spurs from sweeping the Cavaliers.
An underwhelming 2007-08 season was followed by a historic 2008-09 campaign. James and the Cavaliers finished the regular season with a 66-16 record, the best in franchise history. They succumbed to defeat in the Conference Finals against the Celtics, but Cleveland was inching closer to winning the title.
However, after a disappointing second-round exit in the 2010 playoffs, James, frustrated with the Cavaliers’ inability to build a strong roster, left Cleveland and controversially joined the Heat. He made it to the NBA Finals in each of his four seasons in Miami and won two championships.
In 2014, he made his triumphant return to the Cavaliers and led them to the Finals in his first year back in Cleveland. However, the Warriors emerged victorious, handing James his fourth loss in the championship series. The two teams met again in the Finals the following year and the Western Conference champions were seemingly set to repeat after going up 3-1 in the series.
However, James led the Cavaliers to three straight wins, ending Cleveland’s long wait for a championship. They met again in the Finals in 2017 and 2018, but the Warriors won both series comfortably.
James was demonized when he left in 2010. However, he was applauded, cheered, and thanked when he exited the franchise for the second time in 2018. He brought a championship to Cleveland and fans will forever be grateful to him for it.
