Playing in the NBA takes a big toll on an athlete’s body, so playing for 20 years in the league and still being one of the best players in the world. But somehow LeBron James has managed to do that.
James will turn 38 years old soon, but he is still one of the best players in the NBA. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar is aging like a fine wine and looks forward to adding more to his already bejeweled crown.
Instead of talking about James in the present, why don’t we take a trip down memory lane and speak about LeBron when he was a young kid?
Even before James entered the league, he was expected to become the next big thing. He had great skill, varying from incredible athleticism to feeding quality passes to his teammates.
Jim Paxson’s First Thoughts On Seeing LeBron James Play
LeBron James getting drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers was a match made in heaven. At the time, the Cavs’ GM Jim Paxson once shared what he thought of LeBron when he first saw him playing during the King’s Sophomore year.
Via Andscape:
“I heard about him his freshman year, but the first time I saw him play was his sophomore year in a game at Cleveland State. The biggest thing that jumped out at me was that he could have scored 50 or 60 points a game and he was an unselfish player. He played the right way at a young age. He just kind of had that part figured out, and you normally don’t see that with players that are great athletes, because if they can score 50, or 60, they’re going to go score 50 or 60. But LeBron was unselfish. He was athletic like [Michael] Jordan, and had the size and feel like Magic Johnson.”
Scoring has never been an issue for James. In 2010, the King even mentioned that he could win the scoring title each year if he wanted to.
But as mentioned by Paxson, James has always been an unselfish player. He focuses on providing quality assists to his teammates, all while scoring enough points himself. Which is one of the reasons why people have seen a striking resemblance in the playing style of Magic Johnson and LeBron James.
