LeBron James can be credited for completely transforming the careers of the basketball coaches he has played for, almost single-handedly carrying his teams to basketball glory till he joined the Miami Heat in 2010. However, James once ended up getting a basketball coach suspended, albeit through no fault of his own. Cleveland Cavaliers’ coach at the time, John Lucas decided to invite a 17-year-old LeBron James to a workout with college and pro players to gauge his talent ahead of the 2003 NBA Draft. Subsequently, the NBA fined Lucas $150,000 dollars and a two-game suspension next season for violating league rules by hosting an underage player for a workout.
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LeBron James has been dubbed as the most hyped NBA prospect in league history, and quite rightly so. James completely changed the outlook on high school basketball, showing potential to transform the economy of a city with his presence. The Akron native made headlines after winning The Associated Press’ Ohio Mr. Basketball title as a Sophomore in high school. But the young prodigy really took off in his junior year of high school.
LeBron James dominated an ‘illegal’ workout that got the Cavs coach suspended
LeBron James announced his arrival to the national basketball scene after leading his high school to two back-to-back State Championships in his first two years at St. Vincent-St. Mary. However, the media madness surrounding the teenage phenom reached its height after James was dubbed as ‘The Chosen One’ in his solo feature on the cover of Sports Illustrated, just before the start of his junior year in high school.
A few months after, James was invited to a voluntary workout at Gund Arena by then Cleveland Cavaliers coach John Lucas. According to a 2002 ESPN report on the incident, the workout hosted several local college players and some free agents, including Lucas’ son. LeBron ended up dazzling everyone in attendance with his on-court heroics and signature dunks. However, the NBA would soon announce its disapproval of the arrangement (which violated the league rule prohibiting NBA professionals from engaging with players not eligible for the NBA Draft) by suspending coach Lucas for two games and fining him $150,000.
The Cavaliers would fire Lucas the following year, a move which upset James. According to the public profile of LeBron James by The New York Times Editorial Staff, “News accounts earlier this winter indicated that James was unhappy with the Cleveland Cavaliers after they fired Coach John Lucas. It was Lucas who included James in a voluntary workout for the Cavaliers in 2002.”
James would be drafted by a struggling Cleveland franchise amid uncertainties, like the firing of Lucas and the indifference of the Cavs players toward LeBron’s sky-high potential. However, the 2004 Rookie of the Year would soon single-handedly turn the franchise into a playoff team, even leading his side to the NBA Finals in 2007.
The hype around James before his 2003 Draft
The media frenzy around the #1 pick of the 2023 Draft Victor Wembanyama reminded fans of the hype around LeBron James during his high school days. James attracted eyeballs in his freshman year after leading the Fighting Irish to the Division III title with a record of 27-0.
By his sophomore year, St. Vincent-St. Mary was hosting home games at University of Akron’s 5,492-seated Rhodes Arena to meet the growing demands of the public to witness James’ explosive athleticism on the court. The Akron Hammer’s popularity skyrocketed in the following seasons.
In fact, the Fighting Irish’s game against Oak Hill Academy in 2002 was broadcasted live to a national audience on ESPN2. Time Warner Cable even sold pay-per-view access to St. Vincent-St. Mary games during James’ senior year in high school. Quite surprisingly, James would exceed the massive expectations of his high school hype to become the greatest player of his generation.
