Looking at LeBron James' stat lines from his first-ever NBA regular season, playoffs, finals and All-Star weekend games
LeBron James has been a superstar of the game ever since he made his debut in the NBA. "The Chosen One" has lived up to the hype and continues to deliver goods at a high level even after 18 seasons in the league.
James will be entering the 19th season of his NBA career and is still hungry to achieve more as he looks to win his fifth title. The LA Lakers talisman has continued to be in MVP conversations in the last few seasons despite being on the wrong side of his thirties.
LeBron James can be just as explosive and dominating as he was during his initial days in the NBA and his stats prove it. He averages 27 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game in his career during which he has played 1310 games.
While the majority of stars take some time to make a mark in the NBA, LeBron James was already operating at a high level when he entered the league. Let's take a look at how he fared in each of his first-ever games in the regular season, playoffs, finals and NBA All-Star games in his NBA career so far.
LeBron James' NBA regular-season debut game stat-line
LeBron James made his regular-season debut in the NBA at the age of 19 against the Sacramento Kings on November 29th, 2003.
James dominated the game individually, tallying 25 points, six rebounds, nine assists and four steals on the night. He shot 12-of-20 from the field and played 42 minutes in what was his first-ever game in the NBA. The Cleveland Cavaliers, unfortunately, lost that tie 92-106.
Very few rookies can produce numbers like these in their NBA debuts, but LeBron James' confidence was second to none that night. He never looked like a rookie with the way he imposed himself on the opposition. LeBron averaged 20.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game that season.
LeBron James' NBA Playoffs debut game stat-line
LeBron James had to wait two full seasons before making his NBA Playoffs debut. By then, he was the best player on his team by some distance and had averaged a career-best 31.4 points per game, 6.6 assists and seven rebounds in the regular season.
James' Cleveland Cavaliers faced the Washington Wizards in the first round of the 2006 NBA Playoffs. As expected, LeBron recorded one of the best stat-lines for a player making his debut in a postseason game. He registered 32 points, 11 rebounds and as many assists on the night to lead his team to a 97-86 win.
Getting a triple-double in his postseason debut was certainly one of the biggest highlights of young LeBron James' career.
LeBron James' NBA Finals debut game stat-line
Despite playing on a relatively weaker team, LeBron James did not take too long to make his NBA Finals debut. Just one postseason after making his NBA Playoffs debut in 2006, LeBron led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Finals in 2007.
The Cavs faced Greg Popovich's San Antonio Spurs, led by Hall of Famer Tim Duncan. James' debut NBA Finals game wasn't the best one, though, as the four-time NBA MVP could only produce a 14-point outing. He had seven rebounds and four assists on the night and shot a poor 25% from the floor.
The Cavs lost the tie 76-85 and were subsequently swept 0-4 in the Finals.
LeBron James All-Star weekend debut game stat-line
After missing the cut in his rookie season, LeBron James was voted in for the All-Star game in his sophomore year in the NBA. He also started the game for the Eastern Conference team, who emerged victorious that night with a 125-115 win.
James scored 13 points, had a team-high 8 rebounds and had six assists to go along with it, shooting 6-of-13 from the field. He went on to make an appearance in every single All-Star game post that to date and has been named the All-Star game MVP award three times in his career.