LeBron James made his NBA debut on Oct. 29, 2003, in a road game against the Sacramento Kings. James’ debut, which came as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, is perhaps best remembered by his breakaway, one-handed slam.
Twenty years to that very day, James was back in Sacramento as his Los Angeles Lakers faced the Kings. And the 38-year-old once again found himself on a breakaway before re-creating the very one-handed dunk that announced his arrival to the league as an 18-year-old two decades ago.
Both moments were captured by the Kings’ team photographer, Rocky Widner. Taking to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the NBA shared the two photos, which were taken by the same photographer exactly 20 years apart, side by side.
Of all of James’ incredible accomplishments over the course of his now 21-year career, his longevity might be at the very top. For more than two decades, the Akron, Ohio, native has been one of the best players in the NBA, and as the side by side photos show, his athleticism has hardly waned.
Following the retirement of Andre Iguodala earlier this month, James is now the oldest player in the NBA. Only you wouldn’t know it based on his play, or by highlights like his breakaway dunk on Sunday.
Taking to social media, many were quick to weigh in on the jarring similarities between the two pictures.
Uncanny how he manages to find moments in the game to repeat these looks https://t.co/4C23F7t6qG
— Significant Other (@LouieThinks) October 30, 2023
He’s longevity is inhuman https://t.co/1J7bZj8LJs
— Zoe (@1stoyabin) October 30, 2023
[NBA on X]
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.