It’s Never Too Late to Get Where You’re Going

A lesson in forging your own identity and living up to the hype

Friday, December 13, 2002. A sophomore in high school at the time, I was called into the auditorium at day’s end, along with the rest of my peers. The occasion? A pep rally supporting our men’s varsity basketball team, who had a big game that Sunday in Pittsburgh.

Our then-principal and head basketball coach, John Sarandrea, set the scene. “This weekend, we’re going up against a talented young man who Sports Illustrated is calling the next Michael Jordan,” he said. And it was true. At age 17, LeBron James had already graced the covers of both SI and ESPN magazine as “The Chosen One.”

I attended the game that Sunday and remember being in awe for most of it, as even LeBron’s warmup routine consisted of high-flying dunks and alley-oops off the backboard.

After the first quarter, we actually led by 1. At the half, down by 6. Then, a group of Pittsburgh Steelers — Hines Ward, Jerome Bettis, and Plaxico Burress — found their seats court-side, and LeBron found his rhythm. We lost by 34, and he finished with 32 points, 12…