Near-identical photos of LeBron dunking 20 years apart taken

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Photographer captures near-identical photos of LeBron James dunking in Sacramento 20 years apart

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 10/30/23

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James' dominance over a two-decade stretch is one of the most remarkable achievements in NBA history.

His sustained excellence was perfectly symbolized in two images posted to social media on Monday morning.

Same date (October 29), same city (Sacramento), same photographer (Rocky Widner)… 20 years apart! pic.twitter.com/WDl9zvkhiy
— NBA (@NBA) October 30, 2023

The similarities in both of the shots from photographer Rocky Widner are stunning. Seeing the same date in the same city and the same photographer credit makes the spectacle all the more amazing.

As reported by Spencer Davies of Cavs Insider, Sunday was the 20-year anniversary of LeBron's NBA debut with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Joined by Carlos Boozer, Darius Miles, Ricky Davis and Zydrunas Ilgauskas in the starting lineup, James finished the Oct. 29, 2003 contest with a game-high 25 points, nine assists and four steals, while adding six rebounds and just two turnovers. James shot 12-for-20, including 0-for-2 on three-pointers, as Cleveland fell to the host Sacramento Kings 106-92.

On Sunday, the future Hall of Famer took the floor at the beginning of the contest with teammates Anthony Davis (10 years old when LBJ debuted), Austin Reaves (five years old), D'Angelo Russell (seven years old) and Taurean Prince (nine years old). The league's all-time leading scorer posted 27 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists, but no blocks or steals while committing eight turnovers.

Similar to how James's Cavs fell to the Kings 20 years ago, the Lakers lost 132-127 on Sunday.

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