James makes sparkling start to professional career
(Reuters)
Updated: 2003-10-30 17:07

LeBron James turned in a tremendous performance in his much-anticipated NBA debut on Wednesday, but the Sacramento Kings still defeated his Cleveland Cavaliers 106-92.

The 18-year-old James had 25 points, nine assists, six rebounds and four steals in 43 minutes in what was by far the best debut performance of any player making the jump from high school to the professional ranks.

Jonathan Bender of Indiana in 1999 and Amare Stoudemire of Phoenix last season both scored 10 points in their debuts.

Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady failed to register a single point in their first games.

"I just tried to pull out a victory and tried to steal one on the west coast," James told reporters after the game.

"It just didn't work out."

James was certainly not to blame, as he had the game-high in points and helped rally the Cavaliers back into the contest after they trailed by 19 points in the early going.

He was effective moving the ball throughout, right from the 88-second mark when he earned his first assist on an alley-oop pass to Ricky Davis for a dunk.

James also sank the first shot he took, a 12-footer from the right corner, and followed that with another similar basket made from the opposite corner.

He wound up 12-for-20 from the field on the night.

"It was the first I've seen of him and I was real impressed. He's the real deal," Sacramento center Vlade Divac said.

Despite James' heroics, the Cavaliers faded down the stretch and his final shot was an air-ball that drew a few taunts from the crowd, which had watched him in amazement for most of the evening.

"He's a talent. Look at how he plays. The best thing about him is how he distributes the ball. He does it extremely well," Kings guard Bobby Jackson said.

Peja Stojakovic scored 22 points for Sacramento, who have won 19 straight games at home against Eastern Conference opponents.

Mike Bibby added 19 points, while Divac had 18 points.

J.R. Bremer added 20 points for the Cavaliers, while Ricky Davis added 16 points.