"LeBron!!! James!!!" The Cleveland Cavaliers' DJ roared toward the heavens!
October 30, 2003, Cleveland—the Cavaliers versus the Kings!
The 2003 first overall pick, THE KING LeBron James, was making his highly anticipated NBA debut.
The arena, one of the loudest in the entire league, could hold 19,317 fans. That night, thanks to the arrival of top pick James, it was packed to capacity.
The Cavaliers' lineup that year—Jeff McInnis, Ricky Davis, LeBron James, Carlos Boozer, and Big Z.
The emperor had arrived! After one summer, the entire team now understood whose team this was. Ricky Davis said he was willing to support James, so LeBron magnanimously chose not to drive him away.
This team's roster was fairly solid, but the Kings on the other side were serious championship contenders.
Don't let the Kings' preseason blowout loss to the Lakers fool you—their strength firmly placed them among the league's top five.
The game was fiercely contested!
Pierce guarded James all night!
The two had faced each other before at Mamba Academy!
But this time was different!
This was the real thing!
Pierce was older, yet he still couldn't suppress the 19-year-old James.
"A monster dunk!! James has completed his fifth dunk of the game!"
"Insane! THE CHOSEN ONE is freely displaying his talent!"
Cleveland erupted into celebration!
Though their team wasn't leading, their hometown top pick had delivered a jaw-dropping performance!
Who was Pierce?
The Western Conference's strongest small forward! An All-Star in his prime, averaging 26.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.3 blocks, and 2.3 turnovers per game!
The fact that James didn't fall behind against Pierce said plenty!
"Why is this kid so fast?" Pierce rubbed his chest. James, fired up moments ago, had blown past him in one step, and the body contact had left Pierce's