When LeBron James first joined the NBA, many of his peers doubted the “generational talent” label that had been bestowed upon him by pundits. The hype surrounding him before he even played a professional game left some of the league’s established stars feeling overlooked. They felt it was unjust for an unproven rookie to be hailed as superior. But that skepticism didn’t last long for most of LeBron’s opponents, including Tracy McGrady, who got an early glimpse of The King’s potential during a thrilling Christmas Day showdown in 2003.
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While neither LeBron’s Cleveland Cavaliers nor T-Mac’s Orlando Magic were looking very competitive at the time, the matchup proved to be an entertaining spectacle, regardless. Both superstars were surrounded by subpar talent, leaving themselves to shoulder the majority of the offensive load.
An 18-year-old LeBron did everything he could to power Cleveland to victory, posting 34 points, six assists, and two steals while also knocking down four threes in the process. He was clearly still a rookie talent, though, evidenced by his eight turnovers.
McGrady’s electric 41-point, 11-assist night was enough to lead the Magic to a 113-101 victory. The Hall of Famer may have come out on the winning side in this matchup, but the former Cavs phenom made a strong impression on him. T-Mac recalled the memorable matchup in a recent interview with Timeless Sports.
“I knew it [was coming],” McGrady said of LeBron’s future dominance. “I’m seeing the movement. I’m seeing the calmness, the poise … We know he’s a freakish athlete, but he was making some tough shots. So when he started making them tough shots … And then the way he was passing the ball, like, d*mn, he nice.”
The former scorer champion was left impressed by LeBron’s multi-faceted performance, but as we’ve seen, that was only the beginning for the four-time MVP. James would go on to win a closely contested Rookie of the Year battle over Carmelo Anthony, who was wowing his contemporaries in his own right.
The first year of LeBron’s career happens to be the only one in which he wasn’t selected to the All-Star team, but that doesn’t mean his rookie campaign wasn’t spectacular. He’d go on to post one of the most well-rounded rookie years in recent memory.
Before LeBron was drafted, many of his future Cleveland teammates infamously trashed him before he ever suited up for the franchise. No one was more skeptical of the hype than the Cavs’ roster, who made it known that just because James was the top overall pick, it wasn’t his team.
“We have better players than him in his position already on our team,” Carlos Boozer once said with a straight face. “I don’t think you can really bring a high school player in and just think your team gonna really turn around like that,” Darius Miles added.
“LeBron’s just gonna make things a little bit easier. If he comes, he can just hop on our bandwagon,” Larry Hughes shared, not expecting anything special from the St. Vincent-St. Mary’s product. It wouldn’t take long for them all to be proven wrong, though.
LeBron would go on to easily outlast all of his former teammates who doubted him in Cleveland. Of the three known detractors, only Boozer proved to be an All-Star talent. Meanwhile, LeBron is a four-time MVP and a player some regard as the greatest of all time.
