Way Back Wednesday II: A Kid Named LeBron Puts on a Show in Chicago

All-star basketball games are played with a basketball and baskets that are 10 feet high. Beyond that the resemblance to actual basketball is minimal and generally so is my interest.

It was a little different 20 years ago when this LeBron James kid was coming from Ohio to play in the EA Sports Roundball Classic at the United Center. And yes, I was intrigued - and even got paid to witness it by the Daily Herald as part of a large media contingent - along with the 19,678 in attendance who were part of the circus atmosphere for a showcase of some of the country’s top seniors.

No one could have had any idea that two decades later LeBron would not only still be playing but breaking the NBA scoring record of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Tuesday night in Los Angeles. But it didn’t take a genius to know James was going to be something special. It wasn’t exactly going out on a limb writing “expected to be the top pick in this year’s NBA Draft,” and if I could go back 20 years I’d ask myself, “What, did you think Darko Milicic might get taken ahead of him?”

LeBron lived up to the hype. He was the West team MVP and capped a 28-point night as he banked in a running 10-footer with 24 seconds to play for a 120-119 victory. In the first quarter he had 3 dunks - an alley-oop, a tomahawk and windmill - and finished 12-for-21 from the field. Apparently he got a little better at his long-range game after missing all 6 of his 3-point attempts that night.

“The first three quarters are to have fun,” LeBron said afterward. “But in the fourth quarter, it’s time to put away the smile and get down and go to business, which we did.

“It feels great, especially getting the victory also. In the fourth quarter I needed to take over and get our team a victory.”

One of LeBron’s teammates was Charlie Villanueva, who at that point was committed to Illinois. He was also considering the NBA draft but then decided to reroute his college plans to UConn before starting an 11-year NBA career. Villanueva scored 18 points and teamed with LeBron to win the McDonald’s All-American Game a week earlier.

And even in games like these, where passing can be a last resort, LeBron displayed his penchant for getting others involved.

“Charlie is a unique player and great for me because I like to pass the ball,” LeBron said.

“It’s great playing with him,” Villanueva said. “One thing I’ve learned is if I run the floor he’s going to feed me the ball.”

West Aurora’s Dameon Mason, who played at Marquette and LSU, also played on LeBron’s team and scored 9 points. Colin Falls, an exceptional long-range shooter from Loyola who played at Notre Dame, scored 8 points for the East team.

“To step on the floor where (Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen) played, I think it was an honor for all of us,” Mason said just a few years removed from the end of the Bulls championship dynasty.

“I was out there with 21 great players and looking to have fun in front of the home crowd,” Falls said.

And now Falls can say he was out there with the greatest scorer in NBA history.