Nowadays, LeBron James is indeed one of the league's biggest cash cows and undoubtedly the most marketable player of his generation. While all the franchises he has played for have profited from his greatness, there's actually a time when The King cost one team a significant sum even before he stepped foot in the league.
Almost two decades ago, the Cleveland Cavaliers knew they will have a top lottery pick in the now-historically loaded 2003 Draft. The top prize of that crop, of course, just happened to be Akron's own homegrown talent in LeBron James, who singlehandedly brought never-before-seen excitement to high school basketball with his transcendent play for St. Vincent- St. Mary.
The Cavs brass simply couldn't resist seeing him play with pros up-close early on, even if it meant breaking existing league rules.
With the blessing of then Cavs head coach John Lucas, they invited the nation's top high school basketball player in a scrimmage at Gund Arena to play against grown men composed of several local college players and some free agents. They were so impressed by LeBron James that they gave him a second workout, this time playing point guard for the existing Cavs players at the time.
Word got out of the Cavs' blatant violation and the league fined the team $150,000. John Lucas was suspended for two games for ”violating league rules prohibiting contact between NBA teams and players not yet eligible for the NBA draft.”
Per league rules, ”teams may not directly or indirectly have or engage or attempt to have or engage in any discussion, communications or contact whatsoever with any player who has remaining intercollegiate basketball eligibility or is otherwise ineligible to be selected in such draft.”
The then-17-year-old LeBron James was not even an adult at the time. The Cavs knew this beforehand and went with their brazen plan anyway. After all, such talent only comes once in a generation.
It all worked out for the Cavs in the end, as they won the lottery (and the right to draft LeBron) despite having just a 22.50 percent probability of obtaining the first selection. Looking back, that $150,000 fine is just peanuts to the amount of fame, riches, and success that LeBron James has given that franchise throughout his stay with the team.
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