Following a shaky first half, the teenager showed what he could do in his first formal game against NBA veterans, although the intensity wasn't close to what it'll be when the season begins in three months.
James scored eight of his 28 points in the final five minutes and Carmelo Anthony had 34 points to lead a group of incoming rookies to a 127-123 victory over a star-studded squad of veterans in the 18th annual Magic Johnson charity game at Staples Center.
"I felt pretty good," said James, who went straight from high school to the NBA as the first pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in last month's draft. "We're just having fun and doing what we love to do -- play basketball.
"No nerves -- the first half, we were just having fun. The second half, we wanted to win the game. It was a charity game."
And win the game the rookies did, despite the presence of such stars as Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker of the Boston Celtics, Baron Davis of the New Orleans Hornets, Ron Artest of the Indiana Pacers, Shawn Marion of the Phoenix Suns and Gary Payton and Derek Fisher of the Los Angeles Lakers.
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No official statistics were kept. Unofficially, James shot 5-of-15 including 1-of-6 on 3-point shots in the first half and 6-of-10 including 5-of-7 from beyond the arc in the second half.
