When LeBron James was picked No. 1 overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA draft, he was already a star in the making. He had only ever played for his high school team, St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, clinching three Ohio state championships. That success made him a bit of a celebrity in Akron, Ohio. Yet, even for the future GOAT, high school wasn’t all easy.
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Because of his dominance on the court, LeBron and his teammates were often seen as just athletes. The 4-time NBA champion has even claimed that nobody expected them to graduate high school. So, when he did, boy, was he excited!
When their names were called on stage for the convocation, LeBron made sure to soak in the applause. He waved at the crowd, went up to the stage in style, picked up his degree, and took his sweet time walking out.
In a throwback video from ESPN, the future Lakers star explained why that moment was so special to him.
“I am happy for me and my four best friends. We call ourselves the Fab Five,” he said at the time.
“And I am so excited that we were able to make it through high school because we were all just labelled as basketball players and not as students. And we graduated that Saturday as students, not basketball players,” he added proudly.
LeBron’s mother, Gloria, was naturally beaming with pride. She was so happy that she was seen showing off the diploma to the cameras. And why wouldn’t she be proud? None of it would have been possible without her efforts and sacrifices. Life wasn’t easy for her. She had LeBron at 16 and raised him as a single mom.
“Me and my mother are like brother and sister. Without her I would have never made it this far and to see her at the graduation … I had seen how happy she was, because there are a lot of doubters out there … not knowing if I was going to graduate high school or not,” James shared.
Of course, this was a while ago. LeBron is now 40, and is about to embark on his 23rd NBA season when the new campaign begins next month. Speculation is also ripe that this could be his last season, especially since he hasn’t signed an extension with the Lakers.
Whichever way it goes, King James will have left a legacy few can touch. Gloria, too, would surely be satisfied. After all, even when LeBron was shooting hoops in high school and winning titles, she maintained that all she ever wanted for her son was for him to be happy.
