Trevor Ariza spoke recently about coming up as a player around the same time as LeBron James and other great players. In an interview with ‘Run Your Race’ podcast, Ariza stated that LeBron James was the best player in the country while he was in high school.
Ariza added that during their time in high school, it was a very competitive situation. Players would only see each other during camps and tournaments, and they would get to know their style during those events, as being able to access tapes or clips of players was much harder at the time.
“For real though… Bron has been probably the best player since 15… It was extremely competitive. Remember, you only see it on Instagram or are hearing about them, or whatever clip or however it is, whatever they want to put out there. They had like high school magazines to see the player but you don’t get to see clips of them or anything that they do.”
“So the only time you really get to see them is at camp or tournament time. When you go to camps, you’re checking your trap… There was stuff that we were doing at home with the group that we were doing it with, we were in the right direction.”
(Till 2:20)
Ariza and James were playing high school basketball and were competitive against each other. James was playing for St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, Ohi, whereas Ariza played high school basketball at Westchester. The two were very competitive against each other. In fact, James once dropped 52 points on Ariza after the latter’s uncle said Ariza was better than James.
LeBron James – The Last Great NBA Player Directly From High School
LeBron James is one of the few players in history to get drafted into the NBA directly out of high school. The NBA reached an agreement with the NBPA in 2005 that wouldn’t allow players to get drafted directly out of high school, putting a minimum requirement that they be one year removed from high school, and changing the minimum age limit to 19 years old.
These days, players spend either one year in college or even try their hand at playing professional basketball in smaller leagues. The NBA has tried pushing the G-League as a proper alternative to college, to varying degrees of success. The most notable name to get drafted with a lottery pick out of the G-League is the Trail Blazers’ Scoot Henderson.
During his four years in high school, James averaged 25.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game while shooting 55.8% from the field, and 36.0% from the three-point line. James was selected twice as National High School Player of the Year between 2002 and 2003 and was a three-time Ohio Mr. Basketball, from 2001 to 2003.
James had the hype of the world on his shoulders, being dubbed ‘The Chosen One’ while he was still in high school. All the pressure was on James, and he would somehow surpass those expectations, and become one of, if not, the greatest player of all time.
James was an incredible high school player, often considered by many to be one of the best ever. Here are some highlights from his time at St. Vincent-St. Mary, where he got the eyes of the basketball world on him.
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