LeBron James‘ entry into the NBA was nothing less than extraordinary. There was already a lot of hype around the 18-year-old prodigy who was picked overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003 draft. Expectations were through the roof as he was deemed as ‘The Chosen One’.

The journey was definitely not easy for Bron, with having to play through all the pressure and expectations, but the King made it work and made it look easy too. It was clear that Bron had the grit, talent, skill, and physical ability to achieve greatness. When we talk about Bron’s journey to success, we cannot leave out his long-time friend and agent Rich Paul from the equation, who played a huge part in mentoring and seasoning the icon. Most importantly, he saw in LeBron the ability to make it to the top.

LeBron’s high school games were packed

In an interview with ex-NBA player JJ Reddick’s podcast ‘TheOldMan&TheThree‘, Paul talks about what he saw in Bron that made him believe that he could make it big in the league despite the mounting pressure and responsibilities. In Paul’s own words, the expectations grew even more as fans saw just what young Bron was capable of. It got to the point where too many people were lining up to watch his high school games that they had to move his games to bigger colleges and arenas.

LeBron’s high school games against Warrensville Heights witnessed a mindblowing 20,000 people who came to watch. “At that time, he was selling more tickets than the Cavs. The Cavs were averaging like maybe 11,000 that year,” recounts the sports agent and founder of Clutch Sports.

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This opened Paul’s eyes to the impact that Bron already had; he was living up to the name ‘The Chosen One.’ Paul has a unique perspective on LeBron that he believes cemented his legacy in the game.

LeBron’s background played a huge part

We go back to Akron, Ohio, LeBron’s home city. Paul says, “There isn’t much there. So you don’t have a ton of options. But what that does is, allow you to be grounded.”?Bron, being born and raised in this environment was able to stay focused and grounded throughout the “maturation process of celebrity and success“.

According to Paul, there was no rush for Bron to chase something “that he was not.” This allowed him to stay on track and focus on strengthening his foundation as a person as well as a player. Paul also mentions Bron’s luck in having honest and selfless people around him who did not abuse his position for their own gain. “No ‘yes men’ and nobody in it for them“, as Paul puts it. This was a game changer, as many athletes do not have the advantage of having genuine people around them, looking out for them.

LeBron had it all within him as well as around him to carve out a place in history as one of the best that the game has seen. One might even say he was born for greatness.

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