Coming out of high school, LeBron James was a franchise-changing talent, and the Cleveland Cavaliers knew it. No one has accused them of tanking to acquire LeBron—but regardless of their motivation, the Cavs were bad. They missed the playoffs five straight years before drafting the King, and finished 17-65 the year before they picked up The Franchise Changer.
Of course, since those dismal years, LeBron has turned the franchise's fortunes around, culminating in last season's NBA championship. But back then, man, even LeBron—the hometown kid—didn't want to be a part of that mess, according to ESPN.
"When James was a teenager, he started attending games at the arena, and he couldn’t believe how bad the Cavs were, how empty the arena often was, with its bright blue seats seeming like a neon sign of disinterest," writes reporter Brian Windhorst. "During his senior year of high school, he went to several games, was given courtside seats and visited the locker room. His thought was pretty clear after he watched that 17-win team with the lowest attendance in the league: They were awful, and he didn’t want to be a part of it."
Who could blame him, really? When you're touted as The Chosen One, and you're told you're one day going to be the best player in the NBA (a prophecy which, obviously, he has fulfilled), why would you want to join a team as terrible as those 2002-03 Cavaliers? That team went through two coaches and was led in scoring by Ricky Davis.
In LeBron's rookie year, the Cavs finished 35-47, good for No. 9 in the Eastern Conference—just out of the playoffs. Quite a change for a team that was in the basement one year before.
In the 13 years since he was drafted, LeBron and the Cleveland organization have been on quite a ride together, and there is no question he has grown to absolutely love the franchise. While this is a funny anecdote considering LeBron's close association with Cleveland throughout his career, it's also completely understandable.
