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Supersized James accepts invite to play in McDonald's gamePosted: Thursday February 27, 2003 7:23 PMUpdated: Monday March 03, 2003 1:17 AM
CLEVELAND (AP) -- LeBron James has been "chosen" once again. James, the nation's top high school player, was selected as a member of the 2003 McDonald's All-American team Thursday and has accepted an invitation to play in the March 26 game at Gund Arena. (Full roster.) James is the best-known name on the list of 24 high school seniors, many of whom already have accepted scholarship offers to some elite college programs. The gifted 6-foot-8 senior from Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, dubbed "The Chosen One" by Sports Illustrated on its cover a year ago, will be playing at the Gund for the third time. Last March, James played a state tournament game before a sellout of 20,562 fans, the largest crowd to see a high school basketball game in Ohio. Two months later, he participated in a voluntary workout with members of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who were fined $150,000 by the NBA for tampering. More than 6,000 tickets have been sold for this year's charity game, said event spokesman Jim Brazytis. The boys' game -- following a game featuring the nation's top 24 girls -- will be broadcast live on ESPN beginning at 7 p.m. Proceeds from the event will benefit Ronald McDonald charity chapters in northeast Ohio. James, who is averaging 31.5 points and 10.5 rebounds a game, and his teammates will begin seeking a third state title in four years Friday night with a first-round game against Kenmore. It will be James' first action since Feb. 16. He had to sit out St. Vincent-St. Mary's regular-season finale on Monday as part of a two-game suspension ordered by a judge for breaking an eligibility rule. James was ruled ineligible last month by a state commission for accepting two sports jerseys from a clothing store without paying for them. He was temporarily reinstated by Summit County Court Judge James Williams, who will hear James' case again on March 5. St. Vincent-St. Mary, ranked No. 1 by USA Today, will play its second tournament game the day before. Once his high school career ends, James is expected to be the No. 1 pick in this year's NBA draft. The McDonald's All-American game has featured some of the league's past and present superstars, including Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant.
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