I know the Victor hype train online is surging every day, but I couldn’t believe the takes from people saying he’s better at 18 than LeBron was. Of course we all suffer from recency bias, so if you aren’t old enough to remember the LeBron hype and performance at 18 here is a reminder.
– At 16 years old he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the headline “The Chosen One.” Until last week the bulk of America didn’t even know 18 year old Victor existed. Yes I know that would be different if lived in LA, but he doesn’t. He also wouldn’t be this hyped if he wasn’t 7’4. People are in love with his uniqueness.
-Rebook offered LeBron $115 million dollar deal before ever playing in the NBA. He ended up choosing Nike for 7 years 90 million. For reference Kobe Bryant in the same year was offered 5 years $45million. LeBron prior to stepping onto an NBA floor was offered twice as much money as the player coming off a three peat and many thought of as the next Jordan.
-He had signature Nike shoe the LeBron 1 before he played an NBA game.
– He had 25 points, 9 assists and 6 rebounds in his first NBA game still at 18. Keep me mind Victor is already 18 and will be 19 in 3 months.
– His debut also included 12 points in the first quarter. His command and comfort of the game was immediate.
– He put up these numbers on the road against the Sacramento Kings who went on to win 55 games and the 4 seed in the west that year.
-They lost the game and he is the first player interviewed lol.
Never thought I’d say these words, but the media is massively underrating 18 year old LeBron.
by Amazing-Pride-3784
17 Comments
This is why I don’t get how some people are saying victor is a better prospect
My theory is the NBA just wants to hype up victor as much as can so everyone wants to watch him as soon as he enters the league and there’s no better way to do that than have guys like RJ go on air and say stuff like that
People really forgotten how massive the hype was for lebron
I remember that game, it was a huge deal. Btw, if you have ticket to this LeBron’s first game, it is worth 40K – https://www.opencourt-basketball.com/lebron-james-nba-debut-game-ticket-auctioned-for-record-sum/
You can think LeBron was a better prospect but there’s so many dumb things that are being used to “prove” this. Public hype means fuck all. Somehow hype for one proves a point, and hype for the other proves delusion. History shows GMs take height. Yes, if he wasn’t 7’4 he wouldn’t be the same player genius. Prospect means potential, not current ability.
So many mind-numbing points regurgitated again and again on this topic. Bunch of respected names have said this and yet it’s not even a possibility according to people on here.
i think 2/3rds of this post is simply due to LeBron being an american an victor isnt
you can’t just wave off that Victor is 7’4 in the sport of basketball. Markus Howard is more skilled than Victor was at a younger age, but nobody gives af bc Markus Howard is 5’9
Vic on paper is a Lew Alcindor type prospect who was the most hyped prospect st that time, but he didn’t have mass media like LeBron did
i guess some people judge best prospects on actual potential to be a great player, others focus on hype
Why do people keep trying to use hype as an argument for LeBron being a better prospect?
So there’s two different ways to look at this.
1. Who was better at 18? Victor or LeBron
2. Who was a better NBA prospect, Victor or LeBron
These aren’t the same because, like you’ve pointed out, LeBron played in the NBA at 18 and Victor won’t do that.
So I think its safe to say that LeBron was better at 18. We have a small sample size of him playing ball at the highest level, averaging 20-5-5, and immediately making the Cavs too good to ever pair him with a legit second star (Thanks Boozer)
Alternatively, we can also still say that Victor is a better prospect. Yes he’s older, but his competition is leaps and bounds more impressive, and his height, gracefulness at his size, and skill set are what make him such a can’t-miss player, and those are all things that are hard to quantify and compare to another player.
I keep trying to tell people this. The victor hype is big, in the ball world. But people who didn’t even watch ball knew who Lebron was. Shit. Same with Zion. Dude was going viral at 16-17. Twitter people who had never touched a basketball had seen highlights of him in highschool.
I think you hit the nail on the head w his uniqueness. Remember the buzz in the crowd every time Taco Fall entered a game for the Celtics? That was his uniqueness that created that atmosphere.
Plus, say what you want about NBADraft.net and their track record, but they keep toggling between Victor and Scoot Henderson at the #1 spot.
No one ever doubted Lebron at the 1.
This post and some comments in here have some of the worst reasoning I’ve ever seen
Nike does the actual market research. I trust them. As long as Wembanyama hasnt signed as big time, I agree with you.
Yes most of you do all suffer from recency bias.
To be fair there was something else going on in 2003 that limited Kobe’s ability to sell sneakers.
Absolute the GOAT
what the hell does being on the cover of sports illustrated (a magazine most users here won’t pay money for) have to do with being a better player at 18 years old? You do nothing but mention hype around lebron and mention nothing if the two players skill sets. I’m sorry, isn’t this the place that talks about how much better talent is better than back in the day? Lebron at 18 had no jumpshot and wouldnt be as heralded in today’s league as a Wembanyama. Of course ppl are all about his uniqueness. He is a center(the most dominant NBA position historically), he can shoot out the gate, rim protect, run the floor, and potentially provide something the game has never seen. Lebron was basically just the next MJ. Now Vic may not end up as a better player but his skillset would get him picked number one in any draft(even one that has Lebron)
You know what is funny? The people out here defending Lebron as a hyped prospect are no different than the people defending the 90’s and its stars. You gave no argument about how Lebron as a player was just better….you resorted to magazine covers, signature shoes, and stats for an NBA game that the other guy hasn’t even had a chance to debut as a pro. This is an absolutely insecure post over something people shouldn’t be insecure about. You all going to protect Bron’s prospect status 20 years from now? Yea I bet you will.
Lebron was clearly a better prospect and anyone saying otherwise is braindead.
I still think If him and lebron were in the same draft victor would go first. Skills and talent mean a lot but you can’t reach height