Deservedly so, LeBron James burst onto the NBA scene in 2003 with an immense amount of fanfare. He was “The Chosen One” and “The Kid from Akron” who was drafted by his hometown team. Luka Doncic, on the other hand, took a far different path to the NBA, having played professionally in Europe since the age of 13.
Both players are great, but which of them had the better rookie season?
James, now in his 17th season of NBA service, has become one of the greatest players in league history, earning three championships, 15 All-Star nods, four MVP awards and 12 All-NBA First-Team selections. Doncic, who's playing in his second NBA season, will have some work to do if he hopes to reach James' level of greatness. Interestingly, though, Luka's rookie numbers were actually better than The King's.
The Cleveland Cavaliers landed the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. With it, the team selected James, who was coming straight out of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio. He made 79 appearances during his rookie campaign (all starts), racking up averages of 20.9 points on 41.7 percent shooting from the field (29.0 percent from beyond the arc), 5.9 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 39.5 minutes per outing.
With a lesser-known cast of players, James and the Cavs finished with a 35-47 overall record, which left the team just out of playoff contention for that season (ninth in the Eastern Conference). Though he missed the postseason, LeBron was given the NBA's Rookie of the Year award for his outstanding play.
Reference point: In the season before James' arrival, Cleveland finished with a 17-65 record, which was tied for the worst mark in the NBA. In the seasons after, the Cavs went on to become a perennial contender in the East.
Doncic is a newcomer to the NBA, but the 20-year-old guard already has a wealth of experience overseas. At just 13 years of age, the Slovenian-born swingman signed a five-year deal with Real Madrid, where he played on the U16 and U18 teams. It wasn't long before his talent began to shine.
Doncic began to garner a lot of attention during Real Madrid's 2016-17 season. By the end of that campaign, he had racked up several prestigious accolades, including EuroLeague Rising Star (by a unanimous vote) and Liga ACB's Best Young Player. In the following season (2018), Luka went on to become the MVP of the league.
It was clear that Doncic was ready for the NBA, so he decided to part ways with Real Madrid in June 2018. He was picked No. 3 overall by the Atlanta Hawks in that year's draft, but he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for the draft rights to Trae Young and a protected future first-round pick in 2019 (Cam Reddish).
Luka made 72 appearances in his rookie season (all starts), recording averages of 21.2 points on 42.7 percent shooting from the field (32.7 percent from downtown), 7.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.1 steals in 32.2 minutes per contest. The Mavericks finished with a 33–49 overall record in his first season, which left the team well out of playoff contention (14th in the West).
It's close, but Luka edged out LeBron in several statistical categories for their rookie seasons. Doncic holds the advantage in points and field goal percentage, but only just. James, on the other hand, racked up more steals and had a better mark from the free-throw line (75.4 percent to Luka's 71.3). Doncic was also better from 3-point territory, knocking down 32.7 percent of his attempts to James' 29.0 percent. Furthermore, Luka is the winner in numerous advanced stats.
James is already an NBA legend. He'll walk straight into the Naismith Hall of Fame when he's eligible. However, Doncic is clearly making a name for himself in this league as well and arguably had a more impressive rookie season than James. The Mavs phenom is following up that rookie season with a historic second campaign so far, so he's gunning for LeBron's crown.
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