Cleveland Cavaliers (2003–10)Rookie season (2003–04)
James picks up his dribble against the Washington Wizards in November 2006.
James was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft.[25] In his first professional game, he recorded 25 points against the Sacramento Kings, setting an NBA record for most points scored by a prep-to-proplayer in his debut outing.[26] In a late season match-up with the New Jersey Nets, he scored a season-high 41 points, becoming the youngest player in league history to score at least 40 points in a game at 19 years.[27] He was eventually named the Rookie of the Year, finishing with averages of 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game.[28] He became the first Cavalier to receive the honor and joined Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game in their rookie year (Tyreke Evanshas since joined this group).[29] The Cavaliers finished the season 35–47, failing to make the playoffs despite an 18-game improvement over the previous year.[30]
Rise to superstardom (2004–08)
James recorded his first career triple-double on January 19 of the 2004–05 season, becoming the youngest player in league history to record a triple-double at 20 years.[28][31] His play earned him his first All-Star Game selection, where he added 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists in a winning effort for the Eastern Conference.[32] On March 20, he scored 56 points against the Toronto Raptors, setting Cleveland's new single game points record.[33] With averages of 27.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 2.2 steals per game to finish the season, he became the youngest player in NBA history to be named to an All-NBA Team.[7] Despite a 30–20 record to start the year,[33] Cleveland again failed to make the playoffs, finishing the season at 42–40.[34]
At the 2006 All-Star Game, James led the East to victory with a 29 point and 6 rebound performance, becoming the youngest ever winner of the All-Star Game MVP Award at 21 years, 51 days.[35] For the season, he averaged 31.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game, becoming the youngest player in league history to average at least 30 points per game.[28][36] He was considered a strong candidate for the Most Valuable Player Award but eventually finished second in the voting to Steve Nash; however, he was awarded co-MVP honors with Nash by The Sporting News.[37] Under James' leadership, the Cavaliers qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1998.[38] In his playoff debut, he recorded a triple-double in a winning effort versus theWashington Wizards.[39] In Game 3 of the series, he made the first game-winning shot of his career, making another in Game 5.[40] Cleveland would go on to defeat the Wizards before being ousted by the defending Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons in the second round.[41][42]
James engages in his pre-game ritual of tossing crushed chalk into the air in March 2008. The routine was retired from 2011 to 2014.[43][44]
After the 2006 Playoffs, James and the Cavaliers negotiated a three-year, $60 million contract extension with a player option for a fourth year.[45] Although it was for fewer years and less money than the maximum he could sign, it allotted him the option of seeking a new contract worth more money as an unrestricted free agent following the 2009-10 season.[45] He discussed this decision with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, fellow members of his 2003 draft class, who also re-signed with their respective teams while allowing them to be unrestricted agents in 2010.[46]
Early in the 2006–07 season, James was criticized for a regression in his passing skills and shot selection, stemming from a lack of effort and focus.[47] His play rebounded after the All-Star break and he ended the year with averages of 27.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game.[7] The Cavaliers finished the season with 50 wins for the second consecutive year and entered the playoffs as the East's second seed.[48][49] In Game 5 of the Conference Finals, James notched 48 points with 9 rebounds and 7 assists, and scored 29 of Cleveland's last 30 points including the game-winning lay-up with two seconds left against the Pistons.[50] After the game, play-by-play announcer Marv Albert called the performance "one of the greatest moments in postseason history" and color commentator Steve Kerr called it "Jordan-esque."[51] In 2012, ESPN ranked the performance the fourth greatest in modern NBA playoff history.[52] The Cavaliers won the series to advance to the Finals versus the San Antonio Spurs, losing in four games.[53] For the postseason, James averaged 25.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 8 assists per game,[7] although his Finals averages dropped to 22.0 points, 7 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game.[28]
