Long before he stepped on an NBA hardwood, LeBron James was already making all the headlines. He was polarizing from day one, as some people didn't care for the comparisons with Michael Jordan and the fact that he wore 23.
Some said that James was self-proclaimed. That he shouldn't go around calling himself'The Chosen One' or 'The King', not knowing that the first nickname was given by the media. As for the second, it had remained a mystery... until now.
Recently, one of his childhood friends shed some light on the true origins of the 'King James' nickname, stating that it came during his freshman year in High School and that it was the moment he realized he was going to be a superstar.
LeBron James' Childhood Friend Randy Mims Reveals The Origin Of 'King' Nickname:
"It became clear to me how big LeBron was freshman year. He and Maverick (Carter) won the state championship together. And these kids kept - like - running around the hotel talking about 'King James'. I finally just stopped one of these kids like, 'Who is this King James you guys keep talking about?' and they're like 'You don't know King James? That's LeBron James.' You know I checked in, I go to his room, I go 'Hey man, the craziest thing is going on downstairs, these people are going around calling you King James' and he laughed like 'Yeah, that's what they've been calling me.' And I'm like, at that point, I realize like this is a real thing," Randy Mims said on More Than An Athlete.
LeBron was a worldwide sensation before taking his talents to the NBA. He was the most hyped prospect in the history of the Draft, playing on crowded gyms with everybody wanting to take a look at this high school kid. It's safe to say that he's surpassed all expectations about him.
