• LeBron James was declared ineligible at the end of his senior year in high school
• James accepted two retro jerseys from a Cleveland sports store, which led to a suspension for breaking amateur player rules
• LeBron fought hard to get the suspension overturned and see out his high school career on the court
On February 1, 2003, a ruling came down from the Ohio High School Athletic Association that declared LeBron James ineligible to play in the last five games of the team’s season in his senior year. James had accepted two jerseys from an Ohio-based clothing store, totaling to $845 as gifts.
The jerseys were a Gale Sayers Chicago Bears replica jersey and a Wes Unseld Washington Bullets jersey. It was given to him by Next Urban Gear and Music in Cleveland in exchange for James posing for photos to be hung in the shop.
Amateur players aren’t allowed to accept gifts of such kind and often risk losing their eligibility, especially in the pre-NIL days. LeBron’s suspension led to NBA stars like Shaquille O’Neal coming to his aid. By that point, it was clear that LeBron was going to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 Draft. The suspension meant that James couldn’t lead his St. Vincent St. Mary high school to another championship.
After missing two games, the suspension was lifted by Summit County Judge James Williams. LeBron scored 52 points in his return to the court, eventually leading his school to their third Division II title in four seasons.
James would soon be off to the NBA, where he lived up to his hype and is now regarded as one of the greatest, if not the greatest player in league history.
LeBron James’ Coach Campaigned For His Suspension To Be Lifted
LeBron’s high school coach, Dru Joyce, made one of the most compelling arguments in LeBron’s favor at the time of his suspension. The coach stood by his star, who was best friends and teammates with his son.
”I think it’s unfair how this whole process has worked. What the media has done in a sense is build this kid to a level that was impossible to live up to. ‘Bron never called himself the ‘The Chosen One,’ like Sports Illustrated. He never said he was the greatest high school player ever. You guys built him up. Now everybody wants to knock him down.”
James was expected to live up to a standard we hadn’t seen in high school sports before. A million-dollar athlete being sanctioned this severely for accepting two retro jerseys that weren’t even worth $1000 was insane to see at the time. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed and James wouldn’t miss much time.
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