LeBron James says NBA debut in Sacramento ‘will always hold a special place in my heart’
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James adjusted the shirt underneath his indigo blue sweater. He stood in front of the mirror just to the left of his locker at the far corner of the visitor’s locker room at Golden 1 Center to make sure he was looking right.
He grabbed his navy blue hat, pulled it down so the brim was nearly over his eyes, picked up his bags and headed to the visiting press conference room.
James, unquestionably one of the best players in basketball history, answered questions about his team’s shorthanded 134-120 loss to the upstart Kings on Wednesday. He spoke mostly in platitudes, saying things like, “When your number’s called, you just gotta go out there and do your job” when asked about trying to overcome his team’s injuries. The Lakers, of course, were without co-stars Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook and others, leading to the drubbing.
Time went by and the boilerplate answers from James continued — until the end of his media session. He was asked about playing in Sacramento, which was the first place he ever suited up for an NBA game. James, who will turn 38 on Dec. 30, paused and began reflecting. The tone shifted away from his team’s defeat.
Because at this point in his career, James has a willingness to talk about his lofty place in history. He’s a legacy builder, particularly since he’s going to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring mark in the not-too-distant future. James on Wednesday scored 31 points, leaving him with 37,686, just 701 points behind Jabbar, which means he should break the all-time scoring record within the next 30 games, give or take.
James thought about the night of Oct. 29, 2003, when he made his professional debut at Arco Arena, roughly six miles north of where he sat, in a building that no longer stands.
“It always has a special meaning, even though it’s a different arena,” James said of returning to Sacramento. “But it’s the same feeling, same city. It was the beginning of my career, and it will always hold a special place in my heart, being in Sacramento, just because of the journey I’ve been on. Having my first ever plane ride to a city for the first game, going against the first set of fans in the NBA as a regular-season attendee, so it will always have a place, for sure.”
That night, more than 19 years ago — or 6,994 days — James scored 25 points with nine assists, six rebounds and four steals, wowing Kings fans as a 19-year-old, perhaps the most famous 19-year-old in the world. He’s been in the league for as long now as he was alive then, making his NBA debut a literal lifetime ago. It came in Sacramento.
Longevity is a pivotal part of James’ story. He became a trend setter for the way he invested money into his body and the work he put into remaining in peak physical condition.
“It’s amazing, man,” guard De’Aaron Fox said of James’ staying power. “That doesn’t happen often, and it’s not gonna happen, probably, again for a long time. Father time wins at some point. But Bron’s battle against it is amazing.”
That was also apparent to Kings coach Mike Brown, who was the second coach James ever played for with the Cleveland Cavaliers starting in 2005.
Brown before Wednesday’s game recounted a story about James’ work ethic after the Cavaliers had lost a playoff series. The day after the season ended, Brown brought his son, Elijah, to Cleveland’s facility to wrap things up at his office.
“Elijah was in middle school and the lights were off,” Brown said. “So Elijah was like, ‘Dad, I’m gonna go shoot (in the practice facility).’ ... Then he comes running back in the office. He goes, ‘Dad! LeBron’s here!’ He goes, ‘We just lost. Shouldn’t he be in the Bahamas or something?’
“People think (James) walks into a telephone booth and takes off his shirt and he’s Super Man. He goes and does the stuff he does. He was in the weight room, he wasn’t on the court. He’s in the weight room. He’s doing all these other things when everybody else is sleeping on vacation.”
James Wednesday tried to carry a rag-tag group of also-ran Lakers. When L.A.’s season started, the plan was hardly to rely on names like Wenyen Gabriel, Max Christie and Troy Brown Jr., who all received substantial playing time while the roster Wednesday was in tatters.
James’ broad shoulders have carried a great burden throughout his NBA career, but even he has limits with what he can achieve with that kind of supporting cast. He finished with 31 points on 11-of-21 shooting, adding 11 assists, six rebounds and three blocks, but it didn’t add up to much in a 14-point loss. The Kings outscored the Lakers 81-60 in the second and third quarters.
The final question of James’ press conference was about the Kings’ burgeoning duo of Fox and Domantas Sabonis, who are both having All-Star caliber seasons while Sacramento (17-13) holds the No. 6 seed in a crowded Western Conference race. Sacramento hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2005-06, James’ first season under Brown, who was 35 years old when he took the head coaching job in Cleveland.
James spoke on the Kings’ trade that sent guard Tyrese Haliburton to Indiana in exchange for Sabonis, who is becoming one of the best centers in the NBA.
“It’s very, very rare when a trade works well for both franchises,” James said. “I think De’Aaron and Domas, they complement each other very well. I think Sabonis’ ability to play at the elbow like his father used to do, his ability to pass, his ability to rebound and score makes him very dynamic.
“And De’Aaron’s speed, first of all, it gets him a lot of space, because you don’t want to step up because he will fly right by you. But his ability to make mid-range shots, and also he’s added a little post up to his game, where he can shoot over guys smaller than him, elevate. It makes him dynamic, too. And they just have guys around them that complement them.
“It’s a lot of game within the game, and when you have space like they have with (Kevin) Huerter, and, obviously, the rook (Keegan Murray) shooting the ball extremely well, you have Harrison Barnes out there that can spread the floor. It allows De’Aaron to get in the paint, allows him to have space. It allows Domantas to have space.”
James will be back in Sacramento soon. The Lakers return to Golden 1 Center on Jan. 7. Perhaps that night, his team will be healthier, and he’ll shrug off questions about his legacy to focus on a better performance. Perhaps his place in history will be a welcomed talking point after another ugly loss.
But on Wednesday, James took time to reflect on his basketball history in Sacramento, which should never be taken for granted.
This story was originally published December 22, 2022 at 2:32 AM.
