Before the NBA changed the rules to ensure there were no more players who went directly from high school to the pros, there were several men who successfully made the jump. But even though others pulled it off, none of them were as ready for the NBA as a teenager as a young man from Ohio named LeBron James.
It was impossible not to have heard of James before he arrived, as he received an unprecedented amount of attention for a high school player. It seemed only fitting that the Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA draft lottery in 2003, allowing them to keep James in Ohio when they took him number one overall.
James quickly put to rest any doubts about his ability to translate his multi-faceted game to the NBA. Still a teenager as a rookie in 2003-04, James scored 20.9 points per game with 5.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists - then bumped all of those numbers up in his second season. His court vision combined with his strength make him a threat for a triple-double almost every time he steps on the court.
Without too much of a supporting cast, James was still able to quickly turn the Cavs into a playoff team. His coming out party occurred in Game 5 of the 2007 Eastern Conference finals, during a double-overtime thriller with the Detroit Pistons. James' 48 points - including his team's final 25 - showed that he had the strength of will to go along with his tremendous talent.
The man nicknamed King James already rules the basketball card world, and further playoff heroics will only cement that spot. His 2003-04 rookie cards made history with their early values, including an eye-popping five-digit price tag for his Exquisite Collection # 78. Bargain hunters can take a look at his Upper Deck Rookie Exclusives # 1 and his Fleer Tradition # 261, but his cards aren't likely to get any cheaper any time soon.
LeBron James 2003-04 Rookie Cards
- Bazooka # 223
- Black Diamond # 184
- Bowman # 123
- Bowman Chrome # 123
- Bowman Signature Edition # 56 - #'d to 1250
- E-X # 102
- Exquisite Collection # 78 - autographed jersey card #'d to 99
- Finest # 133 - #'d to 999
- Flair # 94 - #'d to 500
- Flair Final Edition # 75 - #'d to 799
- Fleer Authentix # 104 - #'d to 1250
- Fleer Avant # 65 - #'d to 699
- Fleer Focus # 137 - #'d to 499
- Fleer Genuine Insider # 104 - #'d to 499
- Fleer Mystique # 99 - #'d to 999
- Fleer Patchworks # 105 - #'d to 799
- Fleer Platinum # 183 - #'d to 750
- Fleer Showcase # 130 - #'d to 1000
- Fleer Tradition # 261
- Hoops Hot Prospects # 112 - #'d to 1000
- Skybox Autographics # 77 - #'d to 1500
- Skybox LE # 118 - #'d to 99
- SP Authentic # 148 - autographed, #'d to 500
- SP Game Used # 107 - #'d to 999
- SP Signature Edition # 101 - #'d to 499
- SPx # 151 - autographed jersey card #'d to 750
- Topps # 221
- Topps Chrome # 111
- Topps Contemporary Collection # 1
- Topps Jersey Edition # LJ
- Topps Pristine # 101
- UD Glass # 100 - #'d to 250
- Ultimate Collection # 127 - autographed, #'d to 250
- Ultra # 171 - #'d to 500
- Upper Deck # 301
- Upper Deck Finite # 242 - #'d to 200
- Upper Deck Hardcourt # 132 - #'d to 799
- Upper Deck Honor Roll # 106 - jersey card #'d to 499
- Upper Deck Legends # 135 - #'d to 999
- Upper Deck MVP # 201
- Upper Deck Rookie Exclusives # 1
- Upper Deck Standing O # 85
- Upper Deck Sweet Shot # 91 - #'d to 799
- Upper Deck Triple Dimensions # 132 - #'d to 999
- Upper Deck Victory # 101 - SP