Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James was a dominant force in the NBA for over two decades, but he was shining on the court long before he got to the league. James was a basketball prodigy, and it was clear fairly early on that he had the potential to be an incredibly special player.
It was at St. Vincent–St. Mary High School that James became a national sensation, but the signs of greatness were there even before that at the AAU level. He impressed during his time with the Northeast Ohio Shooting Stars, and a clip recently went viral of him putting on a show as a 12-year-old.
View this post on Instagram
You can very clearly see the similarities. NBA fans were extremely impressed by these highlights.
“He plays the exact same. That spin move was dead on,” a fan thinks James still plays the same way.
“A true basketball savant. The Greatest to ever touch a basketball,” one praised James’ basketball mind.
“Bro been making the right play his whole career,” a fan applauded James for always making the right play.
“Bron was already NBA ready by the time he was in the 10th grade, if not 9th, maybe even 8th lmao,” one thinks James could have gone pro long before 2003.
“I’m glad Bron stayed true to his unique skillset instead of trying to be the next Jordan,” a fan loves the fact that James didn’t try to change his game.
James idolized Michael Jordan growing up, but he wasn’t interested in becoming a pure scorer like him. That has led to him going down as arguably the most complete player in NBA history.
James is the NBA’s all-time leader in points (42,947) and ranks fourth in assists (11,826). No one else is currently even in the top 10 in both categories.
While those who were watching James shine at the AAU level would have realized he had the potential to do great things, they probably wouldn’t have imagined in their wildest dreams that he’d still be playing at a relatively high level in the NBA in 2026.
James is averaging 21.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.9 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game for the Lakers in 2025-26. The 41-year-old isn’t dominating night in and night out the way he once did, but the fact that he can still play this well is remarkable. We’re unlikely to see anything like James ever again.
