Remembering LeBron James’ N.J. debut, almost 20 years to the day before he became NBA’s scoring king

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James celebrates after scoring to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Oklahoma City Thunder Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James celebrates after scoring to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Oklahoma City Thunder Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Los Angeles.AP

The symmetry is almost too amazing to believe.

On Feb. 8, 2003, a teenaged basketball player that everyone believed was destined for greatness came to Trenton, scoring a career-high 52 points and putting on the kind of show that left no doubt about his future stardom.

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