Before LeBron James became LeBron James, he was a sensational high school basketball player few had heard of outside the state of Ohio.
Longtime Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl visited with James and did a 2002 SI cover story. Headlined “The Chosen One,” the feature put James on the fast track to stardom.
18 years ago today, Sports Illustrated featured LeBron James on the cover with the headline: The Chosen One – High School Junior LeBron James would be an NBA lottery pick right now.
He got the “Chosen 1” tattoo shortly after. pic.twitter.com/8qr90skT7C
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) February 18, 2020
Despite all the fame and fortune that followed, James has never forgotten that story. When Wahl died suddenly of an aneurysm at age 49 in 2022, James gave a touching tribute.
Now, almost two years later, an anthology featuring Wahl’s best work is being published. Entitled World Class, the book comes out June 4.
James dropped a heartfelt plug for the book Wednesday.
“For me, Grant’s Sports Illustrated story is the moment everything started,” James said. “This collection of Grant’s work is a great testament to not only what he did when he was here, but what he’s still doing to impact others.”
Wahl’s wife Dr. Céline Gounder, who wrote the book’s foreword, posted James’ statement on X/Twitter, thanking him.
Thank you, @KingJames 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
WORLD CLASS, an anthology of @GrantWahl‘s writing, comes out on June 4th.
Pre-order here now:https://t.co/JbthKLLHb4 pic.twitter.com/RAwzZmj1mF
— Céline Gounder, MD, ScM, FIDSA 🇺🇦 (@celinegounder) May 1, 2024
After Wahl’s unexpected death, James told reporters, “I’m very fond of Grant. … I’ve always kind of watched from a distance … anytime his name would come up, I’d always think back to me as a teenager and having Grant in our building.
“It’s a tragic loss, unfortunate to lose someone as great as he was.”
SportsCenter’s Grant Wahl report, including comments from LeBron James, whom Wahl profiled in the iconic Sports Illustrated cover story “The Chosen One.” pic.twitter.com/8RaCMMPJ0B
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 10, 2022
[Céline Gounder on Twitter/X]
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.