If you thought NBA players had trouble defending LeBron, just imagine how difficult it was for opponents to guard the teenage phenom in high school. “The first play after I came in, I was on LeBron and trying to front him, which looking back on it was kind of crazy because I was like a 6-foot freshman trying to front a 6-7 LeBron James,” said Matt Schultz, a former Firelands High School player. “As soon as he realized he had a smaller defender on him—I’m this 14-year-old kid—he just went down to the low post. I fouled him as soon as he touched the ball. It was the only thing I could do.”

Even professional ball players have resigned to just fouling LeBron, unable to match his unprecedented size, speed, and feel for the game. This 2003 Upper Deck Finite Rookie Auto marks the year that LeBron brought his transcendent play to the NBA, and 19 seasons later, he is still proving to be impossible to defend. Graded BGS 9 and boasting a stunning hard-signed autograph, this is a rookie card that even LeBron’s high-school opponents would be happy to own.

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