In 2003, when LeBron James made his NBA debut, he was the most talked-about youth in NBA history. Victor Wembanyama wasn’t even born yet.

So, when the most talked-about kid in the league plays the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday (7:30 ET, ESPN), you can expect the 19-year-old to pick the 38-year-old’s brain.

Wembanyama said, “[James] must have a lot of good advice and knowledge—probably the most knowledge of any player in this league.” “Icons like him are great, and I could learn a lot from them.”

James just won the inaugural Most Valuable Player award at the In-Season Tournament, so he knows what the 2023 No. 1 overall pick might be going through as a young, future talent and possible team hero who is expected to do amazing things.

Wembanyama and the Spurs are on a franchise-record 18-game losing streak coming into the game.

James couldn’t play on Wednesday because he hurt his left leg. The Lakers were playing the second game of a back-to-back after losing to Dallas on Tuesday.

2003 vs. 2023: What’s changed in the NBA

Teams in the NBA scored 93.4 points per game in 2003.

There have been 114.3 points per game for NBA teams so far in 2023.

The current scoring spree is due to changes in the rules that made it harder for teams to protect, along with the fact that teams now play a more open game. Team scoring rates have gone up every season since 2014–15, except for two (2019–20 and 2020–21). At 114.3, the league’s average is a little lower than it was last season (114.7).

As a whole, NBA teams made 5.2 three-pointers per game in 2003.

One 12.6-pointer is made by each NBA team per game in 2023.

Did you know that the last time a team won a game without making a 3-pointer was February 5, 2016? The Heat beаt the Charlotte Hornets 98–95, but they missed all nine of their 3-point shots.

James averaged 2.7 tries from 3 as a rookie. His current average of 5.6 is the lowest it has been in seven years. Wembanyama is already making 5.1 three-pointers every game.

2003 vs. 2023: Changes in technology & media

Nokia had the most sales of any cell phone in 2003.

In 2023, Apple just launched the iPhone 15, which is 16 years after the first model came out in 2007.

In James’s rookie year, having email, pictures, schedules, and music on one device seemed like a big deal, and he made the most of it, as this 2003 video of him at WWE Monday Night Raw shows. As Wembanyama’s first season goes on, small gadgets let us do a lot of things.

Total Request Live (TRL) on MTV took over pop culture in 2003. It was in June 2003 that James and Magic Johnson made a big showing on the Һit show.

TikTоk and social media have taken over as the new MTV in 2023. From moves that go popular and other trends…

At 38 years old, James is the oldest player in the league. He has stayed at the center of pop culture, giving us many popular moments as we’ve watched him grow up. Wembanyama seems to be off to a good start in the viral area as well, with 22 games played so far in his first season.

Preparing for NBA spotlight as teenagers

Wembanyama and James both made their debuts as rookies to sold-out stadiums, almost 20 years apart. It’s clear that they were both ready for the attention.

James played in the first high school game to be shown on ESPN in 13 years when he was 17. He scored 31 points, grabbed 13 boards, and dished out six assists as St. Vincent-St. Mary beаt Oak Hill Academy, which was ranked No. 1 in the country at the time.

Wembanyama got noticed by the world when he was 14 years old and helped France’s JSF Nanterre U18 team win second place in the French League. James had made the way for him. The 19-year-old made his professional start in 2019 with Nanterre in the EuroCup.

3 numbers to know from LeBron’s first 20 games in 2003

The youngest player to score 40

He scored 41 points as the Heat beаt the Nets 107–104. James was only 19 years old at the time.

Every month in 2003, he won Rookie of the Month.

He and No. 3 pick Carmelo Anthony became the third and fourth rookies in NBA history, after David Robinson (1989–90) and Tim Duncan (1997–98), to win Rookie of the Month every month of their first season.

Not a great start, but an amazing end

James played in 20 games and scored 16.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 6.4 assists. In those games, Cleveland went 5–15. Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan are the only other players to score more than 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists per game as a rookie. He finished strong and joined them.

3 numbers to know from Wemby’s first 20 games in 2023

The youngest player to record a 20/20 game

That happened less than a week ago in a 121–112 loss to Chicago. Wembanyama took over for Dwight Howard as the youngest player to score 20 points and grab 20 rebounds in a game.

The first rookie in history to…

Wembanyama is one of only four players since 1983–84 to have 45 points, 20 boards, five assists, five blocks, and five steals in their first three games. The other three are Evan Mobley, Lamar Odom, and David Robinson. He is the first player to do it in less than 100 minutes played, though (80).

Top five in five different groups

Here are the French superstar’s five best statistics marks as a rookie. In three of them, he is ahead of his peers. In his first season, he has the most points (18.8 per game), rebounds (10.6), steals (1.2), and blocks (2.8). He has 2.8 blocks per game, which is the second most in the NBA.