Trevor Ariza Was ‘Salty’ About Losing To LeBron James In School Until He Witnessed Cavaliers-Pistons In 2007

In a world before social media, a teenage LeBron James captured the entire Western world’s attention with his talent. Former NBA player, Trevor Ariza, recalled the moment he faced off against the high school sensation. The defeat left him bitter until years later, when LeBron took down an entire NBA team by himself, turning him into a believer.

When Ariza was on Iman Shumpert’s ‘Iman Amongst Men’ Podcast, he talked about his experience playing against LeBron in high school and said,

“In 12th grade when we played in Jersey against [LeBron James]. Obviously, they’re here to watch LeBron. We gotta play against this too so they’re here to see me too… For a while it ate me up because I wanted to win and do well on that stage. I’m gonna tell you when I put that down. I put it down when I seen what he did to Detroit in the playoffs, in the NBA.”

The instance that Ariza is referring to is a showdown between his Westchester High School and LeBron’s St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. James didn’t just defeat Ariza, he ignited for 52 points. LeBron finished the game with the same amount of points as Westchester’s entire team en route to winning by 26 points.

Ariza wasn’t able to shake the grudge that formed against LeBron since that game. However, years later he came to accept the greatness he witnessed that day. He took to the ‘Club Shay Shay’ podcast in 2023 to share his thoughts.

“When you’re playing against elite talent you see elite things, and he just was the most special out of special players. He was like the best X-Men,” Ariza said.

Although Ariza can acknowledge the talent that was showcased, it was an outstanding performance against the Detroit Pistons in the 2007 NBA playoffs, that changed Ariza’s heart.

The moment in particular was Game 5 of the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals between the Cavaliers and Pistons. LeBron put forth one of the greatest clutch performances in NBA history.

The 20-time All-Star in that game finished with 48 points while scoring the last 25 points for the Cavaliers. He turned into a one-man show. Single-handily willing the Cavs to a 109-107 win, and 3-2 series lead.

LeBron was 18 years old when he had that stellar performance against Ariza. Fast forward to 2024, at the age of 39, and he is still causing opposing players to experience the same feelings.