Flashback Friday in Sacramento: The King’s first NBA game

The Cleveland Cavaliers are playing in Sacramento tonight, and I couldn’t help but to go with LeBron James’ first NBA game as this week’s Flashback Friday feature.

I still remember the hype surrounding that night against the Sacramento Kings. It was October 29, 2003, and Cavs fans were so eager to see how their hopeful franchise savior would play under the bright lights of a national broadcast. Man did 18-year old LeBron James look so young.

It was clear from the outset that the moment was not too big for the kid from Akron. He was making plays all over the court, and it was clear he was a different beast. As Brian Windhorst recalled in an article written in 2013, LBJ had 12 points, three assists, two rebounds, and two steals in the opening period.

He was turning heads from the get-go. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only person who remembers this breakaway jam:

That breakaway steal has happened a few times over the course of the last 13-plus years. Given the circumstances surrounding the game, you couldn’t have asked for a more picture perfect first dunk. The King made his presence felt in a big way early and often.

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Perhaps the most quintessential play I can look back on was him stealing the ball from Doug Christie and then giving it up to Ricky Davis for a slam on the other end. That play was a glimpse of what we have come to expect from the best player of this generation, in terms of his unselfishness.

The game itself was a tough one for a Cavs team that was simply outmanned outside of James. Sacramento was a proven playoff club that had the likes of Mike Bibby, and Peja Stojakovic, among others.

It was clear that they were the better team. Knowing that, it was impressive to see LeBron put the team on his back, grabbing the lead early in the fourth. From there, the Cavs ran out of gas, as the Kings cruised to a 106-92 victory.

Nonetheless, it wasn’t the score that mattered; it was how the kid played. Here’s a quick highlight film of some of the game, for nostalgic purposes:

It was such a relief to see The Chosen One thrive in an NBA setting, with the weight of the world on his 18-year old shoulders. His final stats rounded out to be 25 points on 60 percent shooting, nine boards, six helpers, and four steals. The King came, he saw, and he balled. Period.

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That said, he’ll probably exceed that statline tonight in what should be a fun matchup with DeMarcus Cousins and company. We shall see.