LeBron James was drafted in 2003. However, he skipped college and came straight out of high school, joining the NBA.
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The NBA is one of the most competitive leagues in the world. It features some of the greatest athletes our planet has to offer.
However, not everyone can enter the NBA. To be precise, the league requires any player entering the NBA Draft to be at least 19 years old during the calendar year the draft is held.
That being said, there was a time when the NBA allowed players to enter the draft immediately out of high school. As was the case with LeBron James.
LeBron James decided to skip college because of purely financial reasons
Nowadays, most rookies only enter the NBA after completing at least a year in college or one playing pro ball elsewhere. However, one of the greatest players in basketball history, LeBron James did neither.
The King decided to skip college entirely in favor of going pro a year early. The reason behind this? He wouldn’t be able to financially benefit from going to college at all.
“Me and my mom didn’t have anything and we wouldn’t be able to benefit at all from it. The university would be able to capitalize on everything, during the time I would be there for that one year or two years.”
90 seconds of LeBron doing whatever he wants on the court in high school 🤯
Unfair. (🎥: City League Hoops)
— Timeless Sports (@timelesssports_) November 15, 2021
LeBron makes a fair point, and luckily for the modern college athlete, things have changed with the new NIL guidelines. Although it cannot be denied that seeing King James in an NCAA uniform would have been interesting.
LeBron James said that if he had gone to college he would have played for Ohio State University
King James didn’t go to university, that is a fact, but fans have always wondered where he would have gone to college. Well, LeBron himself has admitted that he probably would have gone to Ohio State University.
Imagine if LeBron James went to College! #OhioState? #OhioStandUp pic.twitter.com/EaTJCCL3Mn
— Cavs Nation (@CavsNationCP) August 30, 2014
The four-time NBA Champion in a Buckeyes jersey would have been a sight to see. Although, it is highly unlikely that any of his fans would change who he is now for the world.
Also Read: LeBron James vs. Father Time: Has ‘King James’ Succumbed To His Old Age In Year 20 With The Lakers?