They didn't ask, didn't even recommend. Of course, they didn't discourage it either. If the most talked-about high school player of all time wants to represent the NBA voluntarily, they won't tell him not to. LeBron James didn't have to rock the headbands, just like he didn't have to agree to the photo shoots or the interviews. Like it or not, LeBron is a full-blown celebrity worldwide, in more ways than one he's already developed a "public" persona. There's an ice grill ready when he needs it, vanilla responses to redundant questions in press conferences he's already mastered. Although he is only at the age of eighteen making the leap from the high school courts to the NBA he is feeling a lot of pressure. With all of the hype he was receiving from the whole world of basketball there were many that would be in disbelief of his game. Being granted the honor by all sportscast writers LeBron was to be the first round pick in the 2003 NBA draft. LeBron James became one of the largest hypes to enter the NBA this year because of the national media he received in high school, being only eighteen years old and leaving his past behind, and because of the astounding Nike shoe deal he was involved in.
LeBron James didn't try to put on a one-man show. He did anyway. Displaying his awesome skills to a national television audience for the first time, America's best high school basketball player showed he's equal to all the incredible hype. LeBron James isn't a myth, glossy magazine cover or urban legend. He's the real deal. Television satellite trucks were lined up bumper-to-bumper outside the exits, and two hours before tip-off, camera crews from around the country jousted in the tight corridors outside the locker rooms as they tried to sneak a peek of James. The seventeen-year-old James, perhaps the most talked about prep player ever, finished twelve for twenty five from the floor and had thirteen rebounds and six assists in thirty two minutes against what might be the toughest team he'll face before going to college or turning pro.