LeBron James is one of the greatest players to ever step foot onto an NBA court, and he did that by entering the league as an 18-year-old. He followed the blueprint of players like Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett that had previously skipped college and went straight to the NBA. James has obviously had tremendous success in the league over his career.
However, the question of what college LeBron would go to is one that many people have wondered about for years. LeBron himself had said he would most likely go and play for his hometown Ohio State Buckeyes, but he recently revealed to WNBA stars Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird that he would have gone to either Duke or North Carolina, if not Ohio State.
Stephen A. Smith commented on LeBron’s revelation and shared how he always thought LeBron would have been perfect for the Tar Heels, while Kobe Bryant would have been perfect for Duke.
“You think about Jordan, Worthy, Kenny Smith, Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison, the list goes on and on. LeBron would have fit right into that culture. His personality was more fitting for UNC than Duke, in my estimation. He would have been phenomenal in either scenario. But LeBron James, at the Dean Dome, would have been the heir apparent to Michael Jordan, Vince Carter… Kobe would have went to Duke. Kobe told me that. Kobe Duke, LeBron is Carolina.”
LeBron’s career has been better served for not having gone to college, as he had an instant impact on the league. He was also hyped beyond comparison while he was still in high school, and the NBA was the only natural step for LeBron.
Considering the Tar Heels just lost in the NCAA Finals to the Kansas Jayhawks, a year with LeBron in the 2003-04 season may not have necessarily been a winning one, but it would have been extremely memorable.
