It’s not a secret that LeBron James was the most hyped and expected high school prospect in NBA Draft history. Long before he suited up, he was already called ‘the chosen one’ and expected to be the greatest player of all time.
While he may never do enough merits to get that distinction, it’s pretty safe to say that James has exceeded most expectations. He’s got a flawless résumé and all the accolades to make his case as the best to ever do it.
LeBron always had to prove he was worth the hype. That’s why Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green gives him the upper hand over Michael Jordan, claiming that he had higher expectations from day one.
NBA News: Draymond Green Says LeBron James Had Higher Expectations Than Michael Jordan
(Transcript via Fadeaway World)
“I always tell people with LeBron like that. He got the chosen one tattooed across his back,” Green said.
“He had that tattoo in high school. He was anointed King James in high school. I think for one what’s so incredible to me about LeBron is he probably had the highest expectations of any high school, ex, any player.”
“But especially high school players ever coming into the NBA. Like even Michael Jordan didn’t have the expectations to become who Michael Jordan became when he came out of North Carolina. LeBron probably had the highest expectations, not only, he exceeded them.”
At the end of the day, people can choose their favorite and they couldn’t go wrong either way. But LeBron definitely deserves his flowers for developing amid all that chatter and noise and still managing to exceed all expectations about his career.
It’s not unusual to see top-tier prospects crumble to the pressure and fail to live up to the hype, so we have to give credit where it’s due.