After missing the postseason during his first two years in the NBA, LeBron James made his playoff debut on April 22, 2006. In a first-round matchup with the Washington Wizards, the 21-year-old King did not disappoint. Playing in front of his hometown fans at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, LeBron logged all 48 minutes while stuffing the stat sheet with a monster triple-double. James finished with 32 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists while leading the Cavs to a Game 1 victory.
While competing against All-Star caliber veterans like Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison, LeBron was simply the best player on the court throughout the contest. He helped Cleveland get out to a 31-20 lead after the first quarter and went on from there to secure an 11-point victory, 97-86. Playing alongside James in the starting lineup for the Cavaliers that night was Eric Snow, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden. Snow was the next highest scorer with 14 points as LeBron led his team in all categories.
As fans entered the arena for LeBron’s first playoff game, Nike distributed the iconic “Witness” t-shirts for the first time to everyone who was in attendance. The seats were nearly filled 20 minutes before tipoff and The Q proved to be an electric environment throughout the night. The triple-double from James would be his first of 20 that he has now accounted for in his postseason career. LeBron’s latest triple-double came on April 15, 2018 against the Indiana Pacers, nearly 12 years after his playoff debut.
