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"He put on a show" - Carlos Boozer recalled the craziness of LeBron's NBA debut in Sacramento
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- "He put on a show" - Carlos Boozer recalled the craziness of LeBron's NBA debut in Sacramento
LeBron James made his highly anticipated NBA debut on October 29, 2003, in a game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Sacramento Kings in Sac-Town. Coming into the game, James was the most hyped prospect in NBA history, and as such, everyone was literally glued to that game.
Two-time NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer was a member of the 2003-04 Cleveland Cavaliers team, and during his recent appearance on "The Dan Patrick Show", the former Duke Blue Devil recalled what the atmosphere was like at the Arco Arena.
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"That was nuts, man," said Boozer. "It seemed like there were 300 cameramen at the baseline. If you go back to that film and watch the warm-ups, we had a hard time warming up cuz that arena, Arco Arena, was kind of tight on the baselines. And so we had so much media trying to get every move that he made, every warm-up dunk that he was doing, between the legs, and all these windmills and different things. And it was just difficult to warm up."
The Kings issued 350 press credentials for LeBron's NBA debut
James was then the 18-year-old high school phenom from St. Vincent- St. Mary High School who was picked first overall in the 2003 NBA Draft by his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers. A year earlier, Bron's game against No.1 Oak Hill Academy and Carmelo Anthony was nationally televised on ESPN and garnered a rating of 1.97, which is equivalent to 1.67 million viewers, a two-year high for ESPN2 at that time.
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With LeBron now on the biggest stage, there was an unprecedented number of media covering the game, with Kings officials confirming that there were 350 press credentials issued for that game, which was twice the number for a regular-season game. But it wasn't just that; there were press people from countries like Canada, Taiwan, and Japan who were there too, making it an international spectacle. What made it more memorable was that the 18-year-old kid was ready for the spotlight.
"During the game, he was outstanding. He played terrific. Obviously, we lost to a much better team, an older veteran group with Chris Webber, Stojakovic, Divac, and Mike Bibby. They were loaded, but he put on a show. He had a hell of a game for his first game in the NBA as a true 18-year-old," Boozer added.
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LeBron was worth the wait and worth the hype
Wearing Michael Jordan's iconic No.23, LeBron did not disappoint. He started at point guard, and his first assist was an alley-oop pass to Ricky Davis for the Cavs' first points of the game. James also made his first three jumpers as if to prove his critics wrong about his jump shot. At the half, LBJ already had 12 points on 6-12 shooting with six assists and three rebounds. However, as Boozer said, the Kings were just better and were up 65-52.
The Cavs fell behind by as many as 19 points, but behind their rookie sensation, they rallied to take the lead at 85-83 with 10:05 left after LeBron assisted on a three-pointer by J.R. Bremer, who scored 20 points in that game. However, the Kings rattled off six straight points after that and never looked back. James finished with 25 points, six rebounds, nine assists, and four steals in 42 minutes of action as the Cavs lost 92-106.
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Twenty-three years later, LeBron is still in the NBA while Carlos is now a basketball analyst for the ACC Network. What's even crazier is that if James returns to play a 24th season next year, he will be in the league together with Boozer's sons — Cameron and Cayden, who are expected to declare for the 2026 NBA Draft.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Mar 23, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
