When rookie LeBron James’ Cavaliers teammate didn’t buy into the hype in 2003: “He can just hop on our bandwagon”
When LeBron James was drafted No.1 back in 2003, the bar was set extremely high for him. At just 18 years old, many believed he had the potential to go down as one of the greatest players ever.
While some were crowing him the chosen one, others were attempting to pump the breaks on all the hype.
Landing with his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James was expected to be the savior of the franchise. However, his teammates didn't see it that way, initially at least. They felt that a kid that young couldn't come right in and be impactful in the NBA.
Not long after LeBron was drafted, members of the Cavaliers were asked their thoughts on him. Safe to say they weren't ready to just hand over the keys to a rookie that was just drafted out of high school:
"I don't really think you can bring in a high school player in and really think your team is just going to turn around like that. If he come, he can just hop on our bandwagon," said Darius Miles.
What LeBron’s teammates thought of him before he joined them https://t.co/C4yT8rwqac
How did LeBron James perform as a rookie?
While members of the Cleveland Cavaliers didn't think LeBron James could make an impact at 19, he certainly managed to prove them wrong. Not only did he perform well out of the gates, but he beat out players like Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony for Rookie of the Year.
LeBron played 79 games in his first season and ended the year with averages of 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.6 steals. Over 20 years later and the 2004 season remains the only year of his career that LeBron didn't make an All-Star team.
20 YEARS AGO TODAY 👑
The Cavs selected 18-year-old LeBron James with the 1st pick in the 2003 NBA Draft!
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR VOTING
LeBron: 508 PTS
Melo: 430 PTS
Wade: 117 PTS
https://t.co/NUXbobAFFr
As for his impact on the team as a whole goes, LeBron ended up making a major difference. In 2003, the Cavaliers finished the regular season with a record of 17-65. During LeBron's rookie year, they more than doubled their win total.
It took just three years for LeBron to turn Cleveland into a playoff team. In 2006, they made it to the Eastern Conference semi-finals. A year later, Cleveland found themselves in the NBA Finals but lost to the San Antonio Spurs in four games.
While it may have taken longer than expected, the hometown boy managed to deliver a championship to Cleveland. In 2016, LeBron and the Cavs made history as the only team to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals when they beat the Golden State Warriors.