The Road To Championship Starring LeBron James

The Prelude - Loss

April 9th, 2017, 2 months and 13 days from the NBA Draft

A sigh was heard in the dark, quiet locker room of the Kentucky Wildcats. Standing six feet, eight inches tall at only nineteen, LeBron James was a great basketball player, proud of his abilities, unafraid to shine in the spotlight. But he was quiet as he put on his shoes.

He had just lost a close game to the UCLA Bruins who had the monstrous star guard that pulverized and steamrolled his way through the defending players of the Wildcats, slamming the ball hard and making it known that he, Russell Westbrook, had put the 'King' James on a poster, giving the Bruins a one-point lead with 2.4 seconds remaining.

The Bruins were one of the strongest college teams in the NCAA; as were the Wildcats. They both sported similar records, except the Wildcats broke their winning streak, losing to the Bruins, who had a spotless record. LeBron's mind replayed the game-ending sequence in his head over and over again; he had just received an amazing full court bounce pass from his team's point guard, and somehow missed the wide open midrange shot to win the game.

Westbrook had yelled in triumph after the miss, screaming as the Bruins swarmed him, all the players hugging each other in joy. The Wildcats did not share the same enthusiastic, as they walked out of the Bruins' arena, legs feeling like lead and disappointment overwhelming their minds.

No one had bothered returning to the school gym after the game except for LeBron, who was still upset over that wide open miss. He shot from that same exact spot for two hours in the dark, deserted gym, with only his active mind to keep him company.

After he put on his shoes, he slung his schoolbag over his shoulder, put his basketball back into his locker, and made his way out of the school.

"Ey man cheer up, it wasn't your fault we lost the game man."

That voice startled the King. It was his teammate who had given him the golden opportunity to score after an unbelievable pass, but LeBron ultimately missed. Standing at a decent size of six foot three, there stood John Wall, floor general, vice-captain of the Wildcats and LeBron's best friend for six years. Nicknamed the 'General' for his magically infected passes, he was often compared to the 'Beast' Westbrook for their similar athleticism.

LeBron sighed. He knew John was just trying to make him feel better, but he simply couldn't get that scene off his mind. John stared at him for a few more seconds and then continued.

"Look man, the playoffs are gonna start in two days' time man, and the team needs you to bring us to the championship we've set out a goal for. I understand that you're disappointed 'bout that loss but – no one's perfect, aight?"

Sighing yet again, the King decided to heed the General's words, as they walked out of the school compound quiet, but burning with a sudden passion to reach that goal of bringing a championship to Kentucky.

There had been a sports drought for the Kentucky Wildcats of a decade, when a decade ago the Wildcats had reached the NCAA Finals where they had lost to the Georgetown Hoyas. After that, it was presumed that the Kentucky Wildcats were cursed, as their once-unbeatable roster that reached the Finals had officially become the worst team in the NCAA, when in fact they were expected to bounce back and dominate.

Ever since, few developing basketball players had decided to come to Kentucky. LeBron and John were interested in the idea of breaking that cold spell that shrouded Kentucky, and so, intrigued by the thought of becoming hometown heroes, the two set out a goal – that by the end of the season, they would emerge victorious.