James attended St. Vincent–St. Mary High School
in Akron, Ohio, where he became a starter during his freshman year for the Fighting
Irish.[3] He averaged 21 points and 6.2 rebounds, and led the team to a 23–1
record, en route to the Division III state title. Keith Dambrot, now head coach
at the University of Akron, was the head coach at St. Vincent–St. Mary.
Coach Dambrot started working with James doing $1 clinics at a local recreation
center.[4] In his sophomore year, James averaged 25.2 points, 7.2 rebounds,
5.8 assists and 3.8 steals.[4] He led the team to a 26–1 record and a
Division III state title for the second straight season.[5] He was the first
sophomore to be named Ohio's "Mr. Basketball" and also became the
first sophomore ever selected to the USA Today All-USA First Team.[5]
James was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the
first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. Facing the Sacramento Kings in his
first NBA game, James recorded 25 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals
and shot 60% from the floor.[9] During the after-game press conference, James
was asked who he wanted to be like the most and his answer was Jason Kidd. James
had admired Kidd since he took the floor in 1994 and dedicated his first triple-double
to him. James praised Kidd by saying he was the best point guard alive today,
and his passing abilities were second to none. After recording a season-high
41 points against the New Jersey Nets, James became the youngest player in league
history to score at least 40 points in a game.[10] He averaged 20.9 points,
5.9 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game for the season,[11] and was named 2003-04
NBA Rookie of the Year; becoming the first Cavalier and youngest NBA player
to ever receive the award.[4] He joined Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan as
the only players in NBA history to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, and
5 assists per game in their rookie season.[4] The Cavaliers improved by 18 wins
and concluded the regular season with a 35–47 record, but failed to make
the playoffs.
"Answering" a 61-point game by Kobe Bryant
two days before, James nearly scored the first 50-point triple-double since
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975, when he recorded 52 points, 11 assists, and 9 rebounds
against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on February 4.[44][45]
The game was originally counted as a triple-double, but the NBA later took away
one rebound.[46]On February 14, 2009, at the All-Star Game in Phoenix, when
asked by Cheryl Miller whether he would participate in the 2010 Slam Dunk Contest,
he said that he was, following the path of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.James
scored 55 points in a win over the Milwaukee Bucks on February 20, 2009.[47]
From March 10 to March 13, he posted three triple-doubles in a row against Miami
Heat, Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns, makes him the leader in the league
for this category in front of Chris Paul with seven triple-doubles in a season.
[48]
