JaKarr Sampson remembers watching Cavaliers games as a kid, perched dangerously close to the television set so as not to miss a moment of the action. He remembers the privileged, but all too infrequent, occasions during which he actually got to attend games, sitting high in the nosebleeds at Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena. And he remembers the hope that a young LeBron James brought to the hometown the two shared, Akron, Ohio.

Located about 40 miles due south of Cleveland, Akron was once a thriving industrial hub, home to four of the world’s largest rubber companies. From the turn of the century through the 1960s, it experienced a population boom of nearly 700%, but the rapidly deteriorating rust belt economy hit Akron hard, and by 1990, many had fled the city.

Akron is a no-frills, working class town, and for JaKarr Sampson and tens of thousands of kids like him in the area, LeBron James represented something greater, a beacon of hope that originated from an unlikely source.

“Everybody looked up to him, especially coming out of Akron, a small city where not a lot of players come out of,” Sampson told Sixers.com. “We didn’t ever have anybody to come out of Akron big time like that, or the state of Ohio, even.”

James was only 18 years old when he was selected first-overall by the Cavaliers in 2003, and while still a kid in his own right, he made a point of giving back to children in the Northeast Ohio area through youth programs and summer basketball clinics.

As a member of James’ AAU team, the King James Shooting Stars, and a student at the star forward’s alma mater, St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, JaKarr Sampson was taken under his wing. The Sixers rookie fondly remembers summer workouts with James and invitations to his home for star-studded runs on his private court.

On Monday, the mentor and protégée will square off for the first time in an organized game, as the Sixers travel to Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers. James missed the teams’ first meeting this season due to knee and back injuries.

“I might clown around with him a little bit on the court,” Sampson said with a toothy grin. “And I might even be guarding him a few possessions.”

When the teams met on January 5, Sampson logged just two minutes. But in the Sixers’ 15 contests since, the 21-year-old has averaged 14.4 minutes per game.

When asked about what’s allowed the rookie swingman climb the Sixers’ depth chart so quickly, head coach Brett Brown smiled and offered interesting insight. Brown told reporters that the team had considered sending Sampson down to the team’s Development League affiliate, the Delaware 87ers, a couple weeks back in order to get him more playing time. But after a pair of strong defensive performances off the bench against the Grizzlies and Pelicans, they decided to go the opposite direction, starting him at shooting guard against the Pistons on January 28 and keeping him in that spot for three straight games

“My personal first attraction to JaKarr was his personality,” Brown told reporters last week. “He’s got that infectious personality and willingness and desire to learn. He’s wide-eyed and wants to take it all in. And then you add in the fact that he’s got such a motor, is a bouncy athlete, and he’s 6’8”. He can really guard a perimeter guy, and he’s a college [power forward], so he can do that too. There was a versatility, there was an athleticism, there was a personality and charisma, all wrapped up into somebody who wants to learn and get better.”

Since training camp, Brown has challenged the rookie defensive stalwart to expand his offensive repertoire, particularly his ballhandling skills and his three-point shot.

“I’m on the court to play defense, but whenever my offense gets going that’s a plus,” said Sampson. “I’ve been putting in a lot of work on my offense, on the court getting shots up, so it’s great to see that coming through for me.”

With the Sixers, the 6’8” swingman has at times been asked to handle primary ballhandling duties, something he says he hasn’t done consistently since playing youth basketball when he was seven years old.

He’s taken the challenge head on, embracing his role as a Swiss Army knife of sorts for the Sixers.

“I don’t know what it is, but I always just look at the positive [side] of things. I always try to bring a good attitude to things,” he said before his usual gap-toothed grin turned to a playful scowl. “But don’t let the smile fool you…”