LeBron James aced his first N.B.A. exam last night, displaying charisma, self-assurance and eloquence at his postdraft news media session. Call it the interview equivalent of a triple-double.

As expected, James, the high school prodigy from Akron, Ohio, was the first player selected in the N.B.A. draft, going to the Cleveland Cavaliers, essentially his hometown team. If James, a 6-foot-8 18-year old, handles the mammoth leap on the court as well as he handled dozens of national and international reporters last night, Cleveland will have one dynamic player and the N.B.A. may have its new front man.

In true superstar fashion, James even saved his best for last. When asked about going to Cleveland, which has taken its knocks as a city and as a franchise, he said: "You come there this season. You'll see how glamorous it is. It's going to be a lot better. It's going to be lit up like Vegas."

The second and third picks were as obvious as James's selection. The 7-1 Darko Milicic of Serbia and Montenegro went to Detroit at No. 2 and Carmelo Anthony, the freshman sensation who led Syracuse to its first N.C.A.A. championship, went next to Denver.