Former No.1 draft pick and Australian youngster Ben Simmons had his first match-up with superstar and mentor LeBron James on Tuesday.
It didn't go to plan for Simmons, with the Cleveland star making a statement against the youngster many have labelled a young LeBron, dropping 30 points, 13 rebounds and six assists against Philadelphia, to help the Cavs to a 113-91 win.
Simmons also suffered what appears to be a minor ankle sprain compounding the loss for the 76ers.
The Melbourne-raised rookie managed just 10 points for the match, a career low in his first season.
After the match, James heaped praise on the young Aussie, who he was matched up with for most of the game.
“I'm honoured that a young, gifted kid like himself would even allow me to be part of his life, and allow me to mentor him and be a big brother to him,” James said after the game.
“I'm honoured by that, and I'll continue to do that, as long as he would like me to.”
Simmons, who is the hot favourite to win the Rookie of the Year award, is averaging 18.1 points, 9.1 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game.
