No amount of praise can justify how great LeBron James has been. Ever since he entered the basketball scene, he’s only been at the top, consistently through every year since the start of the 2000s. For 20 years, James has been the face of the NBA or one of the faces of the league. Despite being one of the oldest players around, LeBron plays like he’s still in his prime.
Before entering the NBA, he was voted as the No.1 recruit in all of the United States of America. James was simply dominant and at that time, his skills were quite disrespectful toward people his age. At the age of 16 was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated and had a feature article written about him by Slam Magazine. But those weren’t his only achievements as a high school student.
LeBron James reliving his high school glory days this morning 👑
(via KingJames/IG) pic.twitter.com/hx91DbWW4e
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) June 4, 2023
He was named Mr. Ohio Basketball thrice, made the Parade All-American first team twice, and was named National High School Player of the Year in 2002 as well as 2003. The 2003 McDonalds All-American Game MVP was selected as the No.1 overall pick in the NBA Draft that year.
He won the Rookie of the Year Award playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers that season. Whatever happened next changed the course of basketball history. With that said, let’s see how good LeBron James was in high school.
LeBron James led his high school to double state titles as a freshman
LeBron James competed at St. Vincent – St. Mary’s High School and with them, he had his big break. His official team name was “Fighting Irish” while James along with his teammates were collectively referred to as the Fab 5.
This team went on to become a legitimate dynasty in high school sports during the early 2000s. James led the Fighting Irish to an undefeated season as a freshman averaging 18.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game.
He led his high school to a Division II State Title that year as well. During a follow-up season in his sophomore year, James helped win another Division II State Title. This ultimately labeled the Irish as a massive threat to Ohio’s high school basketball teams. He quickly went from averaging 25.7 points to 28 points per game during his junior year. By now, James was rising to a point where NBA fans only wanted to tune in on his games.
LeBron averaged 29.2 points per game as a senior backed with 9.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists as well. He was briefly suspended for several controversies at that time but he came back only to score 52 points over the opposing team. The Irish eventually won a third state title which marked the end of an amazing era. LeBron would transition into a professional but never once dropped statistically.
