LeBron James recently took a trip down memory lane via an Instagram story. He reminisced about the time he spent with the Walker family at their Hillwood house back when he was in school. Just days later, a famous Tim Duncan quote about LeBron from 2007 has been making the rounds on Twitter. Duncan had claimed that the league would soon belong to LeBron, words that seem almost prophetic, all these years later.
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The San Antonio Spurs had swept the Cleveland Cavaliers, who at 22 had led his team all the way to the NBA Finals. Despite the sweep, Duncan saw something special in LeBron, who had averaged 22 points, 7 assists, and 6.8 rebounds in the 4 games. His motivating words and exchange with LeBron recently resurfaced on the r/NBA subreddit.
Tim Duncan made prophetic prediction about LeBron James back in 2007
James; first Finals appearance came in 2007, in his 4th NBA season. While he was utterly impressive, the Cavaliers ended up losing 4-0 to a talented San Antonio Spurs.
After game 4, Duncan met with LeBron James in front of multiple reporters and had a heartwarming message for the then-youngster. Duncan saw something special in LeBron that made him proclaim the following:
“This is going to be your league in a little while, but I appreciate you giving us this year.”
At the age of 22, LeBron finished the 4 matches with the highest points and assists across the two teams. The Spurs had a talented lineup that included Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili. The Cavaliers on the other hand had only the 22-year-old James as an All-Star. While the better team won the Finals, there was little doubt that James was the best player in the series.
James fulfilled Tim Duncan’s prophecy in the years that followed
James took another four years to win his first NBA title, which came in 2012. This was after moving to the Miami Heat, where he played alongside the likes of Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.
In the years that followed, James continued to dominate the league and was a phenomenon, year after year. While there might be criticism about his clutch abilities and Finals record, there is little doubt that LeBron is the greatest of his generation, and the statistics are there to prove it.
At the age of 38, he is still going at a high level and surpassed Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s record of most NBA points last season. While LeBron will be looking to win another ring or 2 before he retires, there is little doubt that he more than fulfilled the expectations that were placed on him as a youngster.
