When an 18-year-old LeBron James was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers as the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, he already knew the amount of pressure vested upon him.

James briefly looked back when he was tagged as the phenom to pull the Cavaliers franchise out of the rut. This was in response to a retrospective comparison to baseball legend Ken Griffey Jr. Like James, Griffey Jr. was expected to save the Seattle Mariners when he was still a teenager — at just 19-years-old.

Like James, every single fan expected Griffey to perform.

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LeBron's fans know all about the pressure put on James even when he was in high school.

Before stepping into the NBA, James' high school games were televised, simply because he was that good. He appeared on the cover of sports magazines, with analysts tagging him as The Chosen One and the next big thing in basketball. Without a doubt, James is the most hyped player of his generation, if not in league history.

For what it's worth though, James did deliver every single time. Not only does he hold tons of “youngest records,” but he also turned the Cavs into a perennial playoff team in just a few years. He even brought the team to the 2007 NBA Finals when he was just 23 years old. While they were manhandled by the San Antonio Spurs in four games, it proved that that analysts were right: James is really The Chosen One.

Now, 17 years in, James continues to dazzle NBA fans. He's still the biggest basketball player in the world, an icon trying to build on his legacy as one of the best to ever do it.