“Young King” - LeBron James reacts to throwback video of his first high school state championship game, on this day 22 years ago

LeBron James is now in his 19th season in the NBA and is the league’s second all-time leading scorer. As the most sacred records fall by the wayside and as new ones are created along the way, it’s worth going back to where it all started.

St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio, has never seen anyone play basketball the way freshman James did. As a 15-year year old first-year player, “The Chosen One” carved his name in Ohio basketball lore in his first high school state championship game. He led the Fighting Irish to their first of three state championships and introduced himself to the basketball world.

Looking back at what he did more than two decades ago, the NBA superstar captioned a video of that championship game with a simple:

“Young King”

On March 25, 2000, James carried St. Vincent-St.Mary's to the state title with 25 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Even back then, his all-around basketball brilliance was already evident.

Young James played all five positions and was a thorn on both ends. He swished jumpers, displayed accurate and brilliant passing and showed off his freakish athleticism. It was a game that signaled the upcoming greatness that continues to this day with the LA Lakers.

The Fighting Irish ended that season unbeaten with a 27-0 mark. James averaged 18.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 3.1 steals and 1.0 block per game. He shot 51.6%, including 31.6% from beyond the arc.

In his freshman year, James was chosen as the State Tournament MVP and received the All-Ohio Division III First Team. Not many 15-year-olds are given this type of opportunity, and the young James never let it slip out of his hands.

Three years later, the Cleveland Cavaliers made him the No.1 pick in the 2003 NBA draft.

---

LeBron James and the LA Lakers are still hoping to grab a play-in slot

The LA Lakers are looking to make a storng push to nail a play-in spot. [Photo: NBA.com]

The LA Lakers rested LeBron James in the team’s loss to Joel Embiid, James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers. It was designed to give the NBA’s leading scorer roughly five days to rest his ailing knees for the most crucial part of the Lakers’ season.

James, Russell Westbrook and the Lakers will travel to New Orleans on Sunday to take on the Pelicans in a critical game. Both teams are neck and neck for the last two play-in spots. A Lakers loss will drop Los Angeles (31-42) a game behind the Pelicans (31-42) and closer to the fast-charging San Antonio Spurs (29-44). All three teams have nine games remaining.

The Lakers need as many wins as possible, particularly against the Pelicans, to gain the tiebreaker. New Orleans won the first meeting and holds the tiebreaker, but they will meet two more times. After Sunday’s game, they’ll battle again a week later in Los Angeles.

The Lakers and Pelicans are both 31-42 and, if the postseason began today, would play in the Nine-Ten Game in New Orleans. The loser of that game is eliminated, while the winner will play the loser of the Seven-Eight Game for the No. 8 seed in the playoffs.

Both teams lead the Spurs by two games. Both are 4.5 games behind the LA Clippers (36-38) for eighth-place – and a seat in the Seven-Eight Game.

The Lakers, however, have a difficult schedule. Six of their remaining nine games are on the road, where the team is 11-24. Six are against teams with at least 42 wins, and there are the two critical games with the Pels. Plus, Los Angeles still hasn't won consecutive games since Jan. 7.