Where are they now?A look back at LeBron James’ first NBA game 20 years ago

CLEVELAND, Ohio — What do Desagana Diop and Peja Stojakovic have in common? When the Cleveland Cavaliers and Sacramento Kings opened the 2003 season, they had a front row seat to watch 18-year-old LeBron James take the court for his first NBA game.

It was October 29, 2003, and Cleveland faced Sacramento at Arco Arena. James started and scored a team-high 25 points. The rest for James: 6 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals, 2 turnovers and 3 personal fouls. He made 12 of 20 shots.

Not bad for a highly-hyped teen from Akron.

It would be the first point of a career that would see him play for three teams in the NBA and eventually lead him to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

The Cavaliers lost the game 106-92, but a star was born.

The Associated Press reported that James’ 25 points exceeded the combined scores of these “preparatory professional” stars in their debuts: Kevin Garnett (8 points), Kobe Bryant (0 points), Jermaine · O’Neal (2 points), Kwame Brown (2 points). 2), Eddy Curry (2), Tyson Chandler (1) and Tracy McGrady (0).

More comparisons: On Oct. 26, 1984 — two months before James was born — Michael Jordan scored 16 points in his first game. French star Victor Wembanyama scored 15 points in his first game on Wednesday.

But James’ groundbreaking effort came in an era when players were proving they could make the leap from high school to the pros: That season, Garnett would be the MVP and McGrady would lead the league in scoring.

Some facts about the game:

fan: There were 17,317 fans at Arco Arena that night. Ticket stubs for the game have been priced in the thousands of dollars.

Quote: “How many of us would like to say we saw Babe Ruth live in his first game?” – ESPN’s Jim Gray.

interesting: “He’s a nice guy.” – “Oakland Tribune” columnist Monte Poole.

Here are the rosters for the Cavaliers and Kings that season (* indicates starters that night):

cleveland cavaliers

Carlos Boozer*

Full game: 14 points, 11 rebounds. He was the only player to score a double-double in the game.

Last year in the NBA: 2014-15.

After graduating from Duke, Boozer spent his second year with the Cavaliers. He averaged 16.2 points and 9.5 rebounds in 13 seasons. He was involved with a luxury real estate company and wrote a memoir, “Every Shot Counts,” which was released this year. His twin sons, Cameron and Kayden, are hot basketball recruits.

Darius Myers*

Full game: 4 points, 5 assists, 2 blocks, 1 turnover.

Last year in NBA: 2008-09.

The third overall pick in the 2000 NBA draft played for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2002-04, ultimately averaging 10.1 points per game. He also did some acting. (Remember National Lampoon’s Van Wilder?) In 2016, Miles declared bankruptcy, which he called “shady business dealings” in a The Players’ Tribune column.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas*

Full game: 9 points, 8 rebounds, 1 block, 3 turnovers.

Last year in the NBA: 2010-11.

The 7-foot-3 Lithuanian played 13 seasons in Cleveland, overcoming foot injuries in 12 of those seasons. As a first-round pick of the Cavaliers in 1996, he played 771 games in a Cavaliers uniform, second only to James. The two also went 1-2 in points, minutes and total rebounds. He had more offensive rebounds (2,336) and blocks (1,269) than any Cleveland player and ranked in the team’s top five in many offensive categories. Career averages of 13 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.

Ricky Davis*

Full game: 14 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 4 turnovers.

Last year in the NBA: 2009-10.

Davis’ final year with the Cavaliers was James’ rookie year. It was Davis’ alley-oop pass that earned James his first assist. As a useful player active in the league, he has played for six teams in his career, averaging 13.5 points and 1 steal per game. But he’s probably best known for his ignominious run with the Cavaliers seven months before James debuted. The Cavaliers faced the Utah Jazz with seconds remaining and the game firmly in their hands when they passed the ball to Davis, who tossed the ball off his own backboard in hopes of grabbing the rebound. Davis is one rebound shy of a triple-double. Utah head coach Jerry Sloan and others criticized the move. Last year, Davis was named coach at Minneapolis North High School.

Ella Newble

In game: Never played.

Last year in the NBA: 2007-08.

Newble’s first year with the Cavaliers was James’ rookie season. He has played for five NBA teams. Newble made social justice a priority, raising awareness of atrocities in Darfur and traveling to Africa. He was the catalyst for a letter about the genocide before the 2008 Beijing Olympics and encouraged teammates to join the cause.

Chris Mihm

Full game: 4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block.

Last season in NBA: 2008-09.

The 7-footer from Texas spent his first four years in the NBA with the Cavaliers. Less than two months after the Oct. 29 game, Mihm and Ricky Davis were traded to Boston in a multi-player trade. Mihm was part of a key draft-day trade in 2000: The Bulls selected Mihm with the seventh overall pick, Cleveland drafted Crawford with the eighth overall pick, and the two traded cash for the players. Crawford played in the NBA for 20 years.

Bruno Sandorff

In game: Never played.

Last season in NBA: 2004-05.

Remember the 7-foot-2 Croatian player? He played 29 minutes in four games with Cleveland. He will have an extensive overseas career ahead of the 2015-16 season.

Desagana Diop

Full game: 2 points, 5 rebounds, 4 fouls.

NBA last season: 2012-13.

The 7-footer was born in Senegal and played four years in Cleveland but never reached his potential. He averaged 2 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. He is now the coach of the G-League’s Westchester Knicks.

Kevin Ollie

Full game: 1 rebound, 1 turnover, 1 personal foul.

Last season in NBA: 2009-10.

Ollie has played for 12 teams in the NBA, and James’ rookie year was the only season he played for Cleveland. He became Jim Calhoun’s successor at Ole’s alma mater, the University of Connecticut. He won a national championship, was eventually fired, sued the school and settled. He is an assistant coach for the Brooklyn Nets.

JR Bremer

In game: He scored 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting in 27 minutes, leading all substitutes.

Last season in NBA: 2003-04.

Bremer graduated from Cleveland Heights High School and played in the NBA for several seasons, averaging 6.5 points per game for three teams. James played 31 games in his rookie year, his only season with the Cavaliers. He is now the basketball coach at his alma mater.

DaJuan Wagner

In game: Never played.

Last year in the NBA: 2006-07.

A first-round pick by the Cavaliers a year ago, he spent three of his four years in the league in Cleveland. He played briefly overseas and then went to work with an athletic training group. His father, Milt, plays in the NBA, and his son, DJ, attends the University of Kentucky.

sacramento kings

Peja Stojakovic*: The Croatian star has a long career, and James’ rookie year was Stojakovic’s best year; he averaged 24.2 points per game. James scored 22 points against the Kings in the first game.

Vlade Divac*: Divac scored 18 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks and 5 turnovers. James’ first foul was against Divac. “He’s a real player,” Divac said after the game.

Brad Miller*: Scored a team-high 16 points and 9 rebounds that night. After a solid career (averaging 11.2 points, 7.1 rebounds per game), he began working on the television series “Country Boys Outdoors” on The Athletic.

Mike Bibby*: James’ first steal occurred in the first quarter, when he stole Bibby’s pass. Bibby scored 19 points and 7 assists. He will coach at his alma mater, Shadow Mountain High School in Phoenix.

Doug Christie*: He scored 12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block in the game. He spent five seasons with the Kings and returned as an assistant coach.

Laurence Funderburk: Funderburk, who plays for Ohio State, will miss this game or the entire season with an Achilles injury. Runs a youth organization and is a member of the Worthington Christian basketball team.

Tony Massenberg: He did not score in this game, but got 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block. James’ rookie year was his only year with Sacramento, one of 12 NBA teams he has played for.

Darius Sangueira: Scored two points in this game. The Lithuanian is now an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs. His daughter, Mele, is a high school student playing volleyball at North Carolina State.

Gerald Wallace: Scored one point and six rebounds. He played the first three years of his career and then blossomed into a solid veteran.

Chris Webber: Weber, one of Michigan’s famed Fab Five, did not play in the game.

Bobby Jackson: Scored 16 points in 20 minutes. Now an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers.

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I am here cleveland.com‘s lifestyle and culture team, covering topics related to food, beer, wine and sports. For my latest story, This is the directory on cleveland.com. WTAM-1100’s Bill Wills and I usually talk about food and drink on Thursdays at 8:20 am. Twitter: @mbona30.My latest book co-authored with Dan Murphy is Gray Company’s “Joe Thomas: No Just Joe”

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