LeBron James, still impressive at 38, supports the weight of the years quite well. Except when a young prodigy comes to remind him that his father was on the floor when he started … in 2003.
When you have, like LeBron James (38), nearly twenty years of career behind you in the NBA, you have to expect to sometimes face several generations from the same family, the first opponents and their descendants.
The four-time NBA champion, close to becoming the best scorer in history (he crossed the 38,000 career point mark this week), experienced it last night. And judging by his reaction, he didn’t necessarily expect it. It was Jabari Smith Jr (19, Houston) who took it upon himself to refresh his memory during a friendly exchange last night, when the young pivot of the Rockets faced the Californian star.
- “You played the first game of your NBA career against my dad.”
- “Truly ?”
- “A Sacramento”
- “Why are you doing this to me ?” (Laughs)
- “You feel old huh?” (Laughs)
King James will certainly have remembered it since, but Jabari Smith Sr was playing well for the Kings in 2003 when LeBron James made his big NBA debut with the Cleveland Cavaliers on October 29, against Sacramento. Far from being impressed when he was only 18 years old, James had made a perfect copy with 25 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds and 4 steals. The first stroke of brilliance of the prodigy.
Almost twenty years have passed, and LeBron James remains equal to himself. The former Miami Heat player sparkled last night in the NBA, on “Martin Luther King Day”, with 48 points (9 assists and 8 rebounds as well) inflicted on the Houston Rockets to carry the Los Angeles Lakers to victory against Houston (140-132) .
