2003 McDonald's Dunk Contest: LeBron James tells the DJ to start spinning 50 Cent's just released hit "In Da Club", symbolically marking the end of the early 2000's era. LeBron emerged from tough circumstances and came to national attention in the summer of 2001, before his junior year of high school, when he was featured in SLAM magazine. They considered the 16 year old as perhaps "the best high school player in America". LeBron won the Ohio division 3 state title his freshman year with St. Vincent-St. Mary, and again during his sophomore season. NBA scouts began attending games that year. In his junior season, LeBron became the first underclassman to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. He became the first junior to win Gatorade National Player of the Year. That year (2002), ESPN2 broadcast a game between LeBron's St. Vincent-St. Mary and Carmelo Anthony's Oak Hill Academy. The game was played in Trenton, New Jersey. (Anyone familiar with Trenton will understand my tagline "🌉StiltskyMakes,TheWorldTakes🌉".) LeBron first met Carmelo during the summer before his junior year, when he became the youngest player ever at 16 to attend a USA Basketball development camp. He met players like Raymond Felton, J.J. Redick, and Deron Williams, but according to LeBron, "I kept telling all my friends how good this Carmelo Anthony guy was". LeBron wound up losing in the division 2 state title game as a junior and then unsuccessfully petitioned to enter the 2002 NBA Draft. In 2003, LeBron proved himself to be the most hyped player ever and Carmelo Anthony went and won a National Championship at Syracuse. The only thing that separated them in the spring of '03 was Darko. Shannon Brown and J.R. Giddens had some spectacular dunks too during the contest, and although I was able to sneak in a Shannon dunk, this event was a coronation for the king. (Shannon's dunks were cut off by IG's 60s time limit) If you go and watch the contest, you will see that LeBron really did request "In Da Club". The track that LeBron wanted changed was not J. Lo and Ja Rule's "I'm Real", but some of you might be able to figure out why I chose it. Yes, that's Mike Vick, Boozer, and Darius Miles.

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