"We won 18 games that year and he was the hottest name in Ohio" - Darius Miles reveals LeBron James was more popular than Cleveland Cavaliers during his senior year
LeBron James is considered by many to be the greatest player to ever come out of high school and directly to the NBA. James has placed himself closer to Michael Jordan with his accomplishments and greatness since being drafted first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003.
In an appearance on the HoopsHype podcast, Darius Miles was asked about how he felt watching James in high school as part of the Cavaliers. Before James, Miles was also a high school phenom, getting picked third overall by the LA Clippers in 2000.
"Of course, we didn’t know he was going to become who he is now, but the respect level was definitely there because he could actually play. His skill level was all the way there. I watched him his whole senior year. We won 18 games that year, and he was the hottest name in Ohio at the time. We weren’t, and we were the professional team," Miles said.
More from Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles in our latest podcast: hoopshype.com/lists/podcast-…
Darius Miles played with LeBron James for just half a season before getting traded to the Portland Trail Blazers in 2004. Miles praised James and detailed how Cavaliers head coach Paul Silas decided to use "The Chosen One" in his first year in the league.
"When he got there, we knew he could play. There wasn't a question about that. It was do we put it all on him right now, or do you slowly bring him into the forefront? What Paul Silas did was slowly bring him into the forefront," Miles said.
LeBron James exceeded expectations in his rookie season, averaging 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists. James won the Rookie of the Year, but had to wait two more seasons before making his debut in the NBA playoffs. James would go on to play for the Cavaliers until the end of the 2009-10 NBA season.
"The King" then took his talents to South Beach, winning two NBA championships with the Miami Heat. James returned to Cleveland in 2014, eventually fulfilling his promise to the city in 2016 by winning the first NBA title in franchise history.
Riassunto dello Skills Challenge:
CLEVELAND, THIS IS FOR YOU - firmato: Darius Garland, Evan Mobley & Jarrett Allen, i padroni di casa. https://t.co/bpLUDtPdyN
LeBron James chasing history in his 19th NBA season
LeBron James is still one of the best players in the NBA today, despite being 37 years old and in his 19th season in the league. James has been playing great even though the LA Lakers are struggling to hold on to a spot for the play-in tournament.
However, James appears to be more focused on chasing history knowing that the Lakers season is now a lost cause. He'll likely be moving ahead of Karl Malone on the all-time scoring list later this month, possibly in Cleveland against the Cavaliers, as he only needs 75 points.
* @KingJames is 75 points from surpassing Karl Malone for 2nd on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
At his current average this season (29.7), LeBron would pass Malone in three games.
Next four, all on the road:
- Minnesota
- Toronto
- Washington (2nd night of B2B)
- Cleveland
"The King" is also second in scoring in the NBA today, just behind Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers. With LeBron James playing 36.9 minutes per game this season, which is fourth in the league, there's a big chance that he'll take the scoring crown to become the oldest player to do so, passing Michael Jordan's record of 35-years-old.