NBA
LeBron James Made $169 Million With the Cavs, but Once Cost Them $150,000 While Still in High School
David Wysong began his sportswriting career in 2013 while still in high school and joined Sportscasting in 2020, where he channels his die-hard passion for the NFL (Indianapolis Colts), NBA (Cleveland Cavaliers), college football (Ohio State), and MLB (Cincinnati Reds) into covering the NFL, NBA, and LeBron James. David's inspiration comes from pursuing his childhood dream to write about sports. He served as the Editor-in-Chief of The News Record, the student newspaper at the University of Cincinnati, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism, a double minor in electronic media and sports management, and the University of Cincinnati service to journalism award. David was a Society of Professional Journalists Region 4 Mark of Excellence finalist for in-depth reporting at The News Record and an Ohio Associated Press Media Editors Division I Best Sports Writer finalist at the Chillicothe Gazette.
Get to know David Wysong betterPublished21 Feb 2021
NBA superstar LeBron James did many great things for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He took the franchise to heights it had never seen before and put more eyes on the city than ever.
However, before going to the Cavs in the 2003 NBA Draft, LeBron James cost the team quite a bit of money as a high school player. This wasn’t all his fault, but the Cleveland ultimately had to fork over $150,000.
LeBron James was an unreal high school player in Ohio
What helped form LeBron James’ bond with the city of Cleveland and the state of Ohio was the fact that he was from there. James was a basketball star at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio.
He was potentially the most hyped high school athlete of all time. James led his team to three state championships and a national championship, according to the school’s website. People often filed into high school arenas to watch him play. He was even on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a junior.
James was so good in high school that he skipped college and went straight to the NBA. The Cleveland Cavaliers selected him No. 1 overall in the 2003 NBA Draft. However, James and the Cavs started working with each other well before the draft.
LeBron James cost the Cavs $150,000 while still in high school
The Cleveland Cavaliers were really bad in 2002-03. Former head coach John Lucas even accused the franchise of tanking to ensure a better chance of drafting James, according to ESPN. The Cavaliers went 17-65 and fired Lucas after he went 8-34 as head coach.
Whether they were tanking or not, though, the Cavaliers had their eyes on James, which ended up costing them. According to The Washington Post, before the 2002-03 season, the NBA fined the Cavaliers $150,000 and suspended Lucas for the first two games after the team allowed James, a high school junior, to participate in a voluntary workout, along with college players and free agents.
The league said Lucas violated “league rules prohibiting contact between NBA teams and players not yet eligible for the NBA Draft.” James also played on a team of Cavaliers players during the workout, and he put on a show.
“He was the best player in the gym that day, on my team,” Lucas later said in 2020, according to The Athletic. “Ricky Davis, Chris Mihm, DeSagana Diop, all of our players, he was the best player there.” Although LeBron James’ workout cost the Cavs $150,000, he paid it back to them and then some.
James made $169.8 million with the Cavaliers and won a championship
The Cavs ultimately paid much more for LeBron James to be on their team in the following years. According to Spotrac, James made over an estimated $169.8 million in 11 seasons with the Cavaliers.
After going to the Cavs with the No. 1 overall pick, James scored over 31 points per game and led Cleveland to the playoffs in his third season. He carried the team to the NBA Finals in his fourth season in 2006-07 — the franchise’s first-ever trip to the Finals. James also led them to 66 and 61 wins in 2008-09 and 2009-10 before joining the Miami Heat for four seasons starting in 2010-11.
James then made four consecutive NBA Finals appearances with the Heat and won two championships. This came before he eventually made four straight appearances back with the Cavs from 2014-15 through 2017-18. LeBron James ultimately led the Cavs to an NBA Championship in 2015-16.
James is now with the LA Lakers. However, in 11 seasons with the Cavs, he scored 23,119 points, earned 10 All-Star selections, won two NBA MVP awards, and played in the NBA Finals five times. That workout was most likely worth it for the Cavaliers.
Overall, in his career, James is an 18-time NBA All-Star and a four-time NBA MVP. He is also a four-time NBA Finals MVP, winning the individual honor for each of his four titles. Additionally, James is second in NBA history in points and sixth in assists.
The Cavs and the entire NBA knew James would be special while he was still in high school. He has ultimately lived up to that hype.
Stats courtesy of Basketball Reference
