As NC varsity players dribbled their basketballs and practiced their free throws in the NC auditorium, senior Malique Card (1) recognized a familiar figure walking towards the basketball team (6-20). Standing at 6’9” and weighing 250 pounds, renowned basketball player LeBron Raymone James Sr. approached the NC team and asked them to play a game of 21. As any high schooler would, Card and his other teammates ran to King James and asked for his autograph. James grabbed a Sharpie out of thin air to write his signatures on papers, and he used his magical Akron powers to make a customized basketball appear in his hands. The NC players thought that James joked about the game of 21, but the prolific athlete began performing his pregame ritual and he immediately locked in. 

“I was riding around the Atlanta area after we beat the Hawks by a landslide, and I remembered that my favorite rapper Ice Spice performed at [North Cobb] and I wanted to visit the campus. I only challenged the team to a game of basketball because I was bored. I already knew I was going to win,” James said. 

Even as an entire team of high school athletes attempted to beat the popular basketball player, James’ aura became too powerful to beat on the court. In a game of 21, 3-point shots convert to 2-point shots and 2-pointers only count as 1 point. From numerous crossovers to pretending that NC’s defense did not exist, the swole athlete swiftly reached 19 points in two minutes. After various attempts to steal the ball from the glorious king,  senior point guard Davi McNeal (20) finally grabbed the ball and dribbled to James’ hoop with precision and determination. McNeal scored one point. Afterward, senior small forward/power forward Noah Holloway (12) and senior center Vally Kone (0) scored 1-pointers as James sat on the bleachers waiting for the NC team to score points. To close off the game, James ran to the opposite side of the court and successfully shot a 2-pointer with a Lakers-sponsored blindfold. The historical game ended with a score of 21-3. 

“We got cooked on the court, but I’m glad that we were able to meet a basketball legend in person. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I am so happy that I was able to see my glorious king beat us before I graduate,” Card said. 

April Fools, you fool!

XOXO,

The Chant