THIS Is How Long LeBron James Has Been Dominating the NBA

[Professor Emeritus]

You can go back even further.

Here's an article about LeBron dominating NBA players in a Cavs workout in early 2002 when he was still a junior.

The oral history of LeBron James’ unforgettable (and prohibited) workout with the Cavaliers

When he was the coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, John Lucas routinely filled his offseasons with individual workouts and packed gyms for pickup games with high…

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Johnny Clark, Cavaliers player development associate:: There was chatter among the players the day before that LeBron was coming. And because he was supposed to be so good, it was like everybody wanted to see how good he was by not necessarily trying to humble him, but to show him ‘you’re nice, but you’re a high school player about to play with grown men and pros. You might be OK, but this is a whole different level right here.’

Eddie Jackson: We get to the gym and Lucas calls his Cavaliers players over [Bryant Stith, Bimbo Coles, Jumaine Jones, Chris Mihm and DeSagana Diop] and then four other players, mostly college players, together. So ’Bron is sitting on the bench. We’re just sitting there talking and Lucas calls him and says, ‘’Bron, let’s see what you got.’ So, ’Bron gets in the game, and he’s really not doing anything. He’s just moving around going with the flow.

Keith Smart, Cavaliers assistant coach: LeBron didn’t step out on the court like he was the guy. He just blended in with the guys. When he got on the floor, he wasn’t brash. There was no ego. You saw him making plays and passing the ball.

John Lucas III: None of us was passing him the ball at first. We were in college and we all want to play in the NBA, so we’re trying to see where we were compared to the pro players in the gym.

Clark: During those first two games, he was out there like he wasn’t trying to step on anyone’s toes. He was just passing the ball. It was like how he does now, get everyone involved early before he starts to do his thing. By the second game, the pro players figured out if they got the rebound and got him the ball, this 11th grader would get them the ball on the other end of the court for an easy score.

Lucas apparently grew tired of James playing as a distributor. He wanted less Magic Johnson and more Michael Jordan. James was moved to the team of college players that included Lucas’ son Lucas III. It was James and a group of college players vs. the pros.

Jackson: And so everyone sits down for a quick break, and Lucas blows the whistle. ’Bron is sitting and Lucas said, ‘So, you don’t want to play with the big boys? You’re going to live off all of those damn accolades? You ain’t ready.’ LeBron got up.

Clark: That’s when the whole day just took a turn. It was like LeBron flipped on a switch. He just went off for the next two or three games. He scored all the points and made all of the assists. He took over the whole workout. I was thinking to myself that I’m glad I was here to see this, because if I heard from someone telling me what he was doing, I wouldn’t have believed them.

Lucas: We put in a play called ‘series,’ and LeBron made the right reads and plays with our guys the whole time. One time he got the ball, split the defenders and made that signature reverse dunk when the ball went through and it didn’t hit the rim or anything. If I write another book, that day will go in my book.

Lucas III: When LeBron came back on the court, my dad was like, ‘Pass him the ball.’ We throw the ball to him and, man, he ripped through on the right-hand-side wing, jumped in the air, and DeSagana Diop and Chris Mihm went to meet him to block it. LeBron went underneath the rim and reverse dunked it without even hitting the rim. He came down and kept running down to the other end of the court to play defense. It was unbelievable. From then on, we passed him the ball every possession. We wanted to see more.

Bryant Stith, Cavaliers guard: When he made that dunk on the opposite side, I ran out the gym. I was so excited because of what I was witnessing. That night, I called my high school coach and I told him that I just saw the next superstar in the NBA. And he was like, ‘Who’s that?’ And I said, ‘A kid from Akron, Ohio, named LeBron James.’ Years later, whenever LeBron was on TV, my coach would call me and say that’s the kid you were telling me about.

Lucas III: I called two of my best friends later that day. I told them I just saw the next best thing next to Kobe. And they said for me to say that he must really be cold. And when I explained that particular play, they couldn’t believe it.

Jackson: LeBron put on a show from that moment on. He was balling. After it was over, Lucas looked at me and said, ‘You’ve got something there.’ I said that ain’t nothing, Lucas, because he has more in his arsenal.

Smart: When you saw how he moved and played, not in a high school game, but playing pickup against college players and pros, you’re like, ‘Oh, my goodness, this guy’s going to be really, really good.’ He blended in and then blended out, and the pickup game became just about him. As an 11th grader, you saw he was just as good as everybody else, if not better.

Clark: Everybody ended that day with a whole different idea about LeBron James. It seemed like everyone left the gym thinking he was the chosen one and he proved it. Everyone looked stunned a little bit, almost as if they saw a ghost, or thinking, ‘Did I just really see what I saw?’

LeBron James to The Plain Dealer 20 years ago: I appreciate Coach Lucas inviting me out. Whenever anyone invites me out, they must believe I’m good enough to play with them, so it’s up to me to try my hardest while I’m out there. It was a good experience. I learned a few things and I had fun.

Bron was in 11th grade and looked like the dominant player on a court covered with NBA talent and college recruits.

Tatum would have been like 4 years old when that happened and he about to sign his 3rd NBA contract.