“I think my legacy is defined by winning. And, Jay, I’ve won at every level”  said Magic Johnson, the only player in NBA history to secure the Finals MVP title as a rookie! Coming into the league, not everyone expects the player to perform at their best. Despite that, certain expectations set by themselves only have allowed athletes to create a historical start to their careers. While Magic remains the only rookie Finals MVP winner, several others have reached the finals alongside their respective franchises, and more have even made it to the playoffs. Given the stats he had recorded for himself during his high school and even college days, expectations were high that a rookie LeBron James would take the Cleveland Cavaliers to a new level, right from the start.

Therefore, without any further ado, let’s look into just how well the future NBA All-Time Scorer performed during his first year.

How did LeBron James kick off his NBA career?

In 2003, King James was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers as the first overall draft pick. The franchise did not have the best reputation back then. After all, who would have wanted to indulge in praise of a team that had tied with the Denver Nuggets for a 17-65 record just the previous season? Coming in as the shooting guard, the new rookie hoped to change the perception of the franchise, and once again make the team championship contenders.

Appearing in 79 of the 82 games that season, LeBron James went on to average 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists. He flourished and struggled in some areas of shooting. His field goals averaged at 7.9-18.9 (41.7%), his three-pointers at 0.8-2.7 (29%), and his free throws at 4.4-5.8 (75.4%). By the time the season was over, LeBron had accumulated over 1,654 points, the highest by any Cavaliers player that season. Unfortunately, displaying this level of prowess early on came with its issues.

During a ‘Mind the Game’ podcast segment back in May, the now 20x NBA All-Star revealed that a significant portion of the animosity he faced during his rookie season came from his teammates! Taking viewers back two decades, he revealed how. “There’s video evidence of my teammates basically saying, like, ‘He’s not ready,’ or, ‘There’s somebody playing his position,’ or, ‘We’re not putting all our faith in an 18-year-old kid. Teammates that I had to be on the floor with, practicing with, on the planes with, in the locker room, in game situations, had this kind of—you don’t want to say hate, but had this kind of animosity towards me, and what I could provide.”

According to then Cavaliers coach Paul Silas, the hate for LeBron was certainly present amongst his peers, most likely stemming from jealousy. He even revealed attempting to reason with the rest of the roster by stating “Their egos wouldn’t allow it. I kept telling them, ‘You have a chance to help one of the game’s future stars,’ but they wouldn’t embrace him.”

LeBron was aware of this fact, but it didn’t stop him from giving out his best. Unfortunately, his best wasn’t good enough to carry a weakened franchise all by himself. The Cavaliers did not have as bad of a season as the previous one. However, they still ended their run with just a 35-47 win record. This only allowed them to secure the 9 seed on the Western Conference chart. Astonishingly, with the Boston Celtics holding the 8 seed with just a 36-46 record, the Cavaliers were just two wins shy of the post-season spot.

In today’s NBA, the 9 seed would have been good enough. Success there, in turn, would have provided a straight ticket to the playoffs. Unfortunately, the rules were different two decades ago. As a result, LeBron did not experience even a fraction of what Magic Johnson did. He failed to make the playoffs during his first year as an NBA player.

What other snubs and accomplishments did LeBron James record during his rookie season?

LeBron James has achieved several things, and established numerous records, throughout his 21-year career. However, not many would come close to the 20-year streak of the player being on the All-Star team! Upon closer inspection, the number is 20, not 21. This is because missing the playoffs wasn’t the only snub LeBron faced that year.  LeBron was certainly voted as a Top-4 guard alongside stars like Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady, and Jason Kidd. However, he didn’t become an All-Star. Eastern Conference coaches decided to vote for Michael Redd, Baron Davis, and future champion Paul Pierce. He would later recall attending the All-Star weekend alongside the rest of his family. Even today, he jokingly admits that it “irks me a little bit” that he couldn’t make the elite team. Looking back now, one couldn’t help but marvel at how the times have changed.

Despite the playoffs and the All-Star snub, LeBron’s rookie season was not without its moments. He was named to the All-Rookie class of 2003-04 alongside other rookies of that year. Most of them would become an important part of the player’s future journey. This included Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Kirk Hinrich. On top of that, he was the first Cleveland Cavaliers player to receive the Rookie of the Year accolade. This came after he recorded 12 double-doubles, and scored 41 points against Eastern Conference champions New Jersey Nets. He was also ranked 4 for the number of field goals attempted.

How does LeBron James remember his debut?

LeBron James seldom used to reflect upon his rookie season as the years progressed. However, back in 2016, he discussed the experience from his very first NBA game. In an interview with ESPN, the player highlighted feeling the difference in his scoring prowess between now and before. More than that, however, it was the changes in his overall physique that intrigued him.

“I had less tattoos and more hair,” said LeBron. “And my jersey was a lot bigger at that time, I had less weight. But for the most part it’s been a great run so far in my career.” Going up against the Sacramento Kings in his debut, he highlighted his belief that the fans had come out to watch the game for two reasons, as “They wanted to see if I was worthy of what everybody was talking about, but also they had a great team at the time, still.” The same season that had the Cavaliers holding a 17-65 record saw the Kings occupying the 2 seed with their 59-23 win stat. Despite this, LeBron was not intimidated. He said: “It was my first time in the NBA and then to be able to be a part of an atmosphere like this, it was pretty cool.”

A lot has changed since October 29, 2003, and the season that followed it. Despite missing the playoffs as a rookie, LeBron made the post-season 17 times throughout his career. His early setback is now overshadowed by consistent success in the later stages of his career.

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.