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Child Prodigy LeBron James Once Made a “Guarantee of Winning” Blunder That Tarnished His Unbeaten Record Forever

Published 07/20/2022, 9:30 PM EDT

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NBA superstar LeBron James was one of the most hyped players coming from high school and it was not without reason. He was a generational talent and was dubbed the ‘Chosen One’. A lot of fans and analysts believed that he would be the heir to Michael Jordan. James was unstoppable during his high school years and brushed teams aside with ease. But one team caused a dent in his high school record.

James was on the cusp of having a perfect record for St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, but Roger Bacon had other plans in mind. They were the only team that defeated James and inflicted the only loss of his high school career. And it was one of the most important games of LeBron James’ high school career.

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Roger Bacon lost their first game against the St. Vincent-St. Mary High School with a scoreline of 70-79. Josh Hausfeld later revealed the goal wasn’t to win but to study how James and his team operate. Once the game was over, Roger Bacon’s boys had built the belief that they could hang with their opponents.

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But also, in their next game, LeBron James made a guarantee of winning that he would regret later on. It lit a fire in Roger Bacon players’ bellies. It was all they needed to hear.

Roger Bacon shocked LeBron James and St. Vincent-St. Mary High School

In 2002, Roger Bacon defeated the St. Vincent-St. Mary High School to clinch the Division II state championship. The game ended with a scoreline of 63-71. They showed the world that team basketball can achieve great things even if you are against one of the future greats of the game.

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Josh Hausfeld led his team with 23 points, while four players scored at least 13 points. LeBron James showed his dominance as he came big with 32 points. But only one other player chipped in with a double-digit score. James had a great individual game, but the lack of help from his teammates proved costly.

The game was on National TV, and everyone wanted to see James. But the boys from Ohio were definitely not struck. They came to play and went toe to toe with the future Hall of Famer.

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‘The Fighting Irish’ had the last possession with the game on the line. LeBron James decided to pass it to an open teammate for a 3-pointer which he missed. And Roger Bacon clinched the championship, much to the surprise of everyone. With the Lakers star’s rise to NBA greatness, the win makes it even more shocking.

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Written by:

Bagavathi Eswaran

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Bagavathi Eswaran is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He has been playing the game of basketball for more than 20 years now and has also been following the NBA for more than 10 years. After not being able to go pro, this former college player decided to join the IT industry.
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Edited by:

Arunaditya Aima