Miami Heat All-Star leader LeBron James started his career in Sacramento.
His first game as an NBA rookie for the Cleveland Cavaliers was played in ARCO Arena. (Sheridan covered it).
So, as the day draws nearer that the Kings may soon make their exodus to Seattle, it seemed fitting that the Heat forward would make a nostalgic splash at the rim.
LeBron James demonstrates that after a decade in the league, he can still soar.
Looking at the dunk, it seems uncanny that at the same arena—more than 9 years later—James would attempt the same style of dunk while being photographed by the exact same photographer [Rocky Widner].
For perspective, in his first game at ARCO, James had 25 points (on 60-percent shooting), nine assists, six rebounds and four steals. Nine seasons—a decade—later, LeBron is still playing at a fierce level.
Saturday, on a team far more talented than his first Cavs squad, he scored 20 points (while shooting 70-percent from the floor), notched seven assists, five rebounds, five steals and two blocks.
For his career (in nine appearances), James averaged 29 points (on 52-percent shooting), 6.7 assists, 7 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.1 blocks per game in Sacramento.
If that was LeBron’s last game in Sacramento, at least he left them with a lasting image of excellence.