Chris Ekstrand

We've all seen them. The outline of an athlete's body on a page in a sports magazine, and lines drawn from each body part to the name of the player who possesses the best hands, quickest feet, keenest eyes, broadest shoulders, etc., combining to comprise a dream athlete with the best of all possible attributes for the given sport. There's probably a piece of papyrus somewhere in Greece with etchings denoting the most sublime limbs of the first Olympians.

It seems to me all the graphic artists working on such projects for their basketball preview issues can put their drawing boards down. No need to strain yourselves trying to enumerate all the best physical characteristics of an NBA player. Just display a full body length photo of LeBron James, and you're done.

"He's going to make a lot of money in this game, and it's because of that body," then-Los Angeles Clippers scouting director Barry Hecker told me when we ran into each other before an ACC basketball game in January of 2002. "He looks like a full-grown man, a power forward, but he runs and passes like a guard."

James, then a high school junior, had turned 17 just days before. The following month, on Feb. 18, 2002, Sports Illustrated ran a photo of James on its cover, proclaiming him "The Chosen One." Of course, SI had given the same treatment to Felipe Lopez a few years earlier, and we all know how that turned out. But as Hecker noted, James already had what pro scouts call "an NBA body" way back then. Unlike most other high school phenoms who get hyped beyond all reality, James hasn't disappointed. He's been everything he was foretold to be, and more. 

Comparing 2003 to 1984   Images: Stars of '03, legends of '84 Part 1: 2003 could become best ever Part 2: 1984 set a golden standard Part 3: LeBron already ahead of MJ Part 4: 2003 hidden gem: Howard or Diaw? Part 5: Darko no Bowie, yet Vote: Better? | Vote: Best of '03?|   Discuss

He runs the court like a fleet guard, swoops to the basket with the agility and grace of a small forward, posts up and bangs down low like a power forward or center. Sometimes when you watch his prescient passing, you believe he's emulating Magic Johnson. At other times, when he overpowers weaker forwards, he might look like a young George McGinnis. Grant Hill in his prime was smoother, but he never packed the wallop James does when he arrives at the rim in thunderous fashion. James possesses every single physiological attribute you could want in an NBA player, and when it comes to thinking the game like a veteran, well, he's well on his way there, too. 

Slide show   Do they compare? A look at the stars of the 2003 draft, and how they compare to the greatest draft of all time -- 1984.

In the land of the giants that is the NBA, James is just small enough to fit in among NBA small forwards, generally regarded as the best athletes in the game. However, at a shade under 6-8 and at around 250 sculpted pounds, James is strong enough to go inside and challenge the big boys of the NBA. In fact, with the NBA's recent emphasis on limiting the most blatant physical excesses in the game, and the resulting extinction of the plodding dinosaurs of yesteryear, James is often one of the strongest players on the court.

But if it's guard skills you are looking for, James' name comes up again. Despite the fact his 22nd birthday doesn't arrive until Dec. 30, well into his fourth NBA season, James carries a career assist average of 6.6 per game. Whether he is out front initiating the Cavaliers' offense, kicking the ball out to an open teammate over a double team in the post or whipping a pass to a free shooter in the midst of one of his explosive drives to the basket, James exhibits the passing acumen and court vision of the best point forwards. With apologies to Scottie Pippen, James may be the best passer from the forward spot since Hall of Famer Larry Bird. 

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USA Basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, already a Hall of Fame coach for his achievements at Duke University, switched James over to the point guard spot for the team's final game against Argentina this past Sept. 2. The result? James tallied a game-high seven assists (to go along with 20 points and nine rebounds) to help the United States salvage a bronze medal with a win over Argentina.