Snagging A $15,000,000 Deal And SLAM Cover With LeBron James, ‘Curious Case’ Of Former Lottery Pick Never Living Up To The Hype

LeBron James is largely considered one of the greatest high school players of all time. Even before he was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, James was more famous than most NBA players. But there are not many who have had a successful career both in high school and in NBA. James, who was drafted in 2003 and turned out to be successful in the very first season, made everyone believe that high school athletes can become big things. Sebastian Telfair was one of the names, who was storied to a big name after LeBron James and was drafted in 2004. The hype was so much that Telfair even signed a $15,000,000 deal with Adidas and was also featured in Slam Magazine in August 2002 along with James.

Immediately after coming into the league, LeBron lived up to every hype that he was expected to fulfill. In his rookie season, the four-time NBA champion averaged 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game. Despite being under media scrutiny from his young high school age, James knew how to talk and set expectations straight.

Sebastian Telfair was expected to rule the NBA along with LeBron James

Sebastian, who shared Slam Magazine’s cover with LeBron James, was also expected to become a big name in the league. The resume that he presented was that of a future superstar, ready to share the stage with a player like LeBron. He had also beaten an All-Star player from the NBA in a vs 1. Here is what Slam Magazine said in 2002;

This guy…

⬛️ Shared the cover of SLAM with LeBron
⬛️ Won High School Player of the Year
⬛️ Beat an NBA AII-Star in a 1-v-1
⬛️ And had Jay-Z at his games…

So how did Sebastian Telfair, become one of the biggest busts in NBA history?

Here’s The Story: pic.twitter.com/IiwdYKP0hG

— Frank Michael Smith (@frankmikesmith) July 27, 2023

He was so famous that during one of his high school games, Jay Z attended his game. The August 2002 issue of Slam Magazine wrote, “The Takeover; Sebastian Telfair and LeBron James are ready to rule the world.” However, after years of his NBA career, Frank Michael Smith, called Telfair, one of the biggest busts in NBA history.

Where is Sebastian Telfair now?

Telfair was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers in 2004, a year after LeBron was drafted. Since his draft, he has played for 10 teams in his ten years of career in the league. In his first game, he scored 14 points on five-for-11 shooting, grabbed five rebounds, and had five assists with just one turnover.

In 2013, he joined the Chinese professional basketball team Tianjin Ronggang and played for one years before he joined the Xinjiang Flying Tigers.

Sebastian has been arrested multiple times for different reasons. He has also been previously arrested in 2007 for possession of weapons. Currently, he lives a very private life and the last time he appeared on a public platform was for the Breakfast Club in 2018.