LeBron James on what it means to play in Sacramento: "It will always hold a special place in my heart"

20 years ago, LeBron James made his NBA debut on the road against the Sacramento Kings. James was already the Cleveland Cavaliers’ best player when they took on the veteran-laden Kings, led by Peja Stojakovic and Vlade Divac.

“The Chosen One” played 42 minutes and finished with 25 points, six rebounds, nine assists and four steals in a losing cause. Two decades later, here’s what James had to say about that unforgettable experience (via Brenden Nunes):

“It always has a special meaning. It’s a different arena but the same feeling, same city, it was the beginning of my career. It will always hold a special place in my heart being in Sacramento just because of the journey that I’ve been on.”

James’ Cleveland Cavaliers were thrashed by the Kings in that game, but the NBA knew they had bonafide generational talent. In just his first game out of high school, he already dominated Doug Christie, Gerald Wallace and everyone the Kings put on him.

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Sacramento’s well-rounded talent and depth overwhelmed Cleveland back then. James’ supporting cast included Carlos Boozer, Ricky Davis and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. The Cavs were terrible in that game and struggled for most of the season. They failed to make the playoffs yet again in James’ rookie campaign.