The GREATEST Draft Class In NBA History?

Many consider the 2003 NBA draft to be the most stacked of all time. Four out

of the first five picks became Hall of Famers, while the Odd Man Out became a historical bust. But with nine

historical bust. But with nine all-stars, arguably the greatest player of all time, one of the best shooters ever, and a record 27 players who spent 10 or more years in the NBA, the 2003

class was one of the deepest drafts ever. You have some other classes that

ever. You have some other classes that produced, you know, multiple Hall of Famers, but I think if you look at the depth of 2003, [music] that's where it sort of edges out the other from legends

to allstars and quality rotation players that won 27 NBA titles combined, the 2003 class had it all. This is the recap

of the legendary 2003 NBA draft. A class

that made history and had arguably the worst draft a fashion of all time.

>> Okay, what are you laughing at? Before

the 2003 draft lottery took place, there was an unusual buzz about the next crop of rookies. Not only was there a lot of

of rookies. Not only was there a lot of talent in the draft, but the NBA was at a crossroads, desperate for some new superstars. After Michael Jordan retired

superstars. After Michael Jordan retired for good in April of 2003, there was a scarcity of marketable young stars, and the league was losing money. Team, Vince

Carter, and Alan Iverson were all playing on bad teams. And outside of the Lakers and their two stars, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, the league didn't have many national draws. The 2003 NBA

Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the New Jersey Nets was the lowest rated in history with 50% fewer viewers than the 1998 finals. There was a belief, or at least a hope, that a new generation

of stars could turn things around. And

the 2003 class had several promising candidates. The most talented player in

candidates. The most talented player in the draft was dubbed the chosen one. He

was arguably the best high school player of all time and the most hyped prospect ever. And even though LeBron James was

ever. And even though LeBron James was only 18 years [music] old, prep to pro superstars like Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, and Tracy McGrady proved that betting on high school kids made a ton

of sense. Just as skilled as Kobe Bryant

of sense. Just as skilled as Kobe Bryant or Kevin Garnett at the same age, but he is far more physically imposing. And

Mike, I'll tell you, I don't think any reasonable basketball person would take anyone else number one than LeBron James in this draft. It's an absolute no-brainer. However, if anyone could

no-brainer. However, if anyone could have taken the number one spot away from James in the draft, it was the 2003 NCAA champion was [music] Syracuse, Carmemelllo Anthony.

>> Every everywhere I go wild, people want to say LeBron name to me. I get tired of of hearing that name to be honest with you. [music] Deep down inside, I just be

you. [music] Deep down inside, I just be want to explode like please don't don't say that name to me anymore. I don't

want to I [music] don't want to hear his name.

>> Melo averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds as a freshman. He won the award for the most outstanding player of the Final Four. And [music] if there was a sure

Four. And [music] if there was a sure bet in the draft, Ella was it as he was widely considered the best scorer in college basketball. However, despite

college basketball. However, despite Anony's [music] talent and accolades, the European prospect Darko Milichic showed arguably an even bigger upside.

>> Darko comes out of nowhere around that time. You know, we we didn't know

time. You know, we we didn't know anything about Darko, so automatically like, okay, Carmemelllo's going to we know that. [snorts] Um, so those were

know that. [snorts] Um, so those were the top two players in our draft and Teddaro came in. And Milichic was only 17 years old and was a 7-footer who could shoot from the outside, but was also strong enough to battle in the

post. And with mobile feet and a 7'5

post. And with mobile feet and a 7'5 wingspan, Darko showed tremendous defensive potential. Following the

defensive potential. Following the success of Dirk Noitzky, Pal Gasol, and Tony Parker, but also Yao Ming and Manoi among the NBA GMs, there was a frenzy

for international prospects. Just a

decade ago, European players were sparse and NBA teams rarely looked outside of the US to find talent. But in 2003, the Euros and other international players were viewed as tactically [music]

polished, skilled, and mature players who could contribute right away. And

Darko's potential glazed the eyes of almost every general manager in the NBA.

>> Darko Milichic is an intriguing prospect because he's 7 foot tall, he's a left-hander, and he is long and very skilled. Perhaps the most skilled big

skilled. Perhaps the most skilled big man in this year's draft. He can get up and down the floor. And when you talk about the combination of size and skill, Darko Milichic has a chance to be great.

That makes him very intriguing.

>> Before the draft lottery took place, the general consensus was that LeBron, Darko, and Melo were the top three prospects. Chris Bosch was viewed as a

prospects. Chris Bosch was viewed as a talented big man, but he was projected to go anywhere between fourth and 10th in the draft. While Dwayne Wade, despite a spectacular March Madness performance and leading Marquette to the Final Four,

was rarely mentioned as a top five pick.

>> Chris Bosch and I had the same agent uh agent Henry Thomas. uh rest in peace.

And I knew Chris Bosch was going to go fourth to Toronto. For some reason, I just felt like, okay, he's going fourth.

And I'm sitting there and I'm like, okay, well, I'm I'm projected to go anywhere from fourth to like 20. Most

analysts predicted that LeBron would be selected first overall, but some news outlets even projected Darko [music] to be chosen at number one. Milich arrived

in the United States for the first time on May 19th, 3 days before the lottery.

On May 21st, while the Pistons were getting ready for game three of the conference finals against the Nets, Darko had a workout in front of all the Pistons [music] executives, coaches, and most of the players.

>> The Pistons were there that day purely because they were playing the Nets [music] in the Eastern Conference Finals later that evening.

>> The plan was for Darko to run the floor a bit, shoot some jumpers, go through a few drills, and call it a day, as he was still battling jet lag and looked exhausted. But then, Milichitz turned on

exhausted. But then, Milichitz turned on the engines and everyone's jaw dropped to the floor. The 17-year-old center was hit in every hook shot from left and right and [music] the ball touched

nothing but net. He then put the ball on the floor, crossed over his defender with the agility of a small forward and attacked the basket with force. On the

next possession, Darko threw his shoulder and the defender bounced off him for another powerful jam. However,

the icing on the cake was his shooting as Milichic routinely made threes from all parts of the floor, something that NBA bigs, not named Dirk Noitzky, couldn't do at the time. After the

workout ended, Milichic ran laps around the court, showing the Pistons his stamina, even though it wasn't necessary, as they were already beyond impressed. General manager Joe Dumar's

impressed. General manager Joe Dumar's mouth didn't close the entire time. His

jaw was on the floor. Whenever he wasn't writing notes in his notebook, he was whispering quiet exclamations. Damn,

that's a freak of nature right there.

And he's just 17.

>> You can end the suspense now. Uh, Darko

Millisich ring a bell to you?

>> I've heard of him. And uh [laughter] he or Camil Anthony would look good in a Piston uniform. I'm going to be

Piston uniform. I'm going to be politically correct here. Either one of them would do well with us. It's Darko,

folks. Back to you.

>> Ben Wallace and Rip Hamilton shook their heads in amazement. We could really use him, Hamilton said. That kid can play.

Too bad he can't suit up against the Nets tomorrow. Everyone who saw the

Nets tomorrow. Everyone who saw the workout agreed it was one of the best they had ever seen, and that Darko's combination of size, speed, power, and coordination was remarkable. Will

Robinson, a longtime Piston scout, compared Milichic to a young Wilt Chamberlain. And because 15 minutes

Chamberlain. And because 15 minutes after the workout, Darko [music] was still running around the gym, they believed he was mature beyond his years, eager to work hard. Right then and there, the Pistons decided they would

draft Darko if they got the chance. But

to have that opportunity, they still had to have some luck with the lottery ping pong balls. On the same day that Darko

pong balls. On the same day that Darko had his Wonder Workout with the Pistons, LeBron James signed [music] a 7-year hundred million shoe deal with Nike, thus becoming the highest paid signature

athlete who had never played a second of NBA basketball.

>> How does a guy like you who hasn't turned 20 yet sit there and hit the pillow tonight knowing that you have as much money as you would ever want the rest of your life, yet you still have to be motivated to perform on the

basketball [music] court? I'm out there doing the things that I love to do, and that's play the game of basketball.

That's what's going to motivate me. And

uh playing against great competition [music] out every night in and night out is going to be great. And uh

>> you got all this money now. What are you gonna do with your first million?

>> I'm buy my mom a house.

>> And due to the hype surrounding LeBron, Darko, Carmelo, and the rest of the 2003 class. For the first time, the lottery

class. For the first time, the lottery was broadcast in prime time and was a standalone half-hour show. The first

pick in the 2003 NBA draft goes to >> On the day of the lottery, the buzz was tantalizing with numerous teams hoping to get lucky and select a franchise changing player. With 17 and 65 records,

changing player. With 17 and 65 records, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Denver Nuggets had the best chances to win at 22 1.5% each. Even though the team with the best odds didn't win the lottery

since 1990. But the team that was in the

since 1990. But the team that was in the most awkward position on lottery night was the Memphis Grizzlies. After going

28 and 54 in the 2003 season, Memphis had the sixth best chance to get the top overall pick. But that's all they could

overall pick. But that's all they could hope for. In 1997, the Grizzlies general

hope for. In 1997, the Grizzlies general manager Stu Jackson traded a future first round pick to the Pistons for veteran Otis Thorp. The pick had various protections, but by 2003, the only way the Grizzlies could keep their [music]

pick was if it was number one overall.

the gentleman who made the trade, who I knew real well, and a great guy. I would

have loved to said to him, "How in the hell can you make this trade?" When

you're bad, you don't risk yourself getting worse. It's just beyond my

getting worse. It's just beyond my comprehension.

>> When the lottery started, the NBA had live coverage of LeBron, Melo, and Darko as they all waited impatiently to see which teams would end up with the top three picks. In the end, the last three

three picks. In the end, the last three remaining teams were Denver, Memphis, and Cleveland, with everyone in Detroit, hoping that Memphis didn't end up at number one. The first team off the board

number one. The first team off the board was the Nuggets, who ended up with the third pick. Memphis was the next team

third pick. Memphis was the next team drawn, which caused an explosion of happiness in Cleveland and Detroit, while the Grizzlies GM Jerry West could barely hide his disappointment. It was

devastating [music] to the franchise not to have that pick.

We were able to build a respectable team after that, but just imagine having a player like Mr. James playing for your team. It was unbelievably disappointing

team. It was unbelievably disappointing [music] for some of us. We were filled with anger because we were thinking, "How could we not have this draft pick protected?" Jerry West. Back in Akran,

protected?" Jerry West. Back in Akran, Ohio, LeBron James was celebrating because he knew that he would play 40 m away from his hometown. When the

envelope opened and said Memphis, I don't even remember them opening the one that said Cleveland. Everyone just

[music] started yelling and coming over to me and jumping on me. From then on, that night it was a blur. LeBron. With

LeBron James being from Akran, Ohio, I'm sure there has to be a lot of excitement in the organization.

>> You know, we don't know who we're going to pick yet. [laughter]

>> A month after the lottery, on June 26th, the 2003 draft started. And as everyone predicted, the Cavaliers selected their hometown hero, who was wearing a preposterously big white suit.

>> All right. I'm going to conduct the draft in this after I [music] announce you. Okay.

you. Okay.

>> All right. I mean, if anybody can do it, you can.

>> All right. Okay. You What are you laughing at? How you'd feel when David

laughing at? How you'd feel when David Stern actually called your name?

>> It was great. You know, this is a long time dream that finally accomplished this and it finally showed that the hard work has finally paid off for me.

>> With the Pistons on the clock, the Nuggets still desperately wanted to trade up to get to the number two pick.

Just like Detroit, the Nuggets GM Kiki Vanderwig was amazed by Darko Milichic's potential and he wanted to draft the Serbian big man. But the Pistons just weren't that high on Carmelo as they

already had Taon Prince and they needed a big guy. So, with the second overall pick, the Pistons selected Darko, whose career ended up as the complete opposite of his pre-draft workout. Absolutely, it

was a mistake. I could give a dissertation on background research.

Now, after I drafted Darko, from that point on, the amount of background we do on every single player that you see us draft is ridiculous. We do as much or more background than any other team in

the NBA because of that. The background

on Darko was about 20% of what we do now. Joe Dumar, the Pistons GM. With

now. Joe Dumar, the Pistons GM. With

James and Milichic off the board, the Nuggets didn't surprise anyone with their selection.

>> The Denver Nuggets select Carmelo Anthony from Force [cheering] University.

>> Anthony was disappointed as he had been assured by one of the Pistons executives that Detroit would draft him.

>> Like to this day, I still think about that.

>> Really?

>> Yeah. Hell yeah. Cuz I'm like they they promised me. You know what I'm saying?

promised me. You know what I'm saying?

Yo, we taking you. We taking you.

[music] I'm talking all the way up to draft day.

You understand? We taking you. So, in my mind, I'm like, I'm going to Detroit.

>> If he had gone there, Melo likely would have won at least one championship early in his career, and it remains the biggest what if of his career.

>> But like, it would have just been perfect, man. Like, god dang, dog. Like,

perfect, man. Like, god dang, dog. Like,

we still reminisce about that, man.

Like, we still don't know what happened.

>> Mhm.

>> I say it all the time. I be on him. said

Brown would have had to leave Cleveland a lot earlier than [laughter] than he left because they never was going to beat us.

>> Yeah.

>> They never would have beat us.

>> You know what I mean? Like

>> But after the consensus first three picks got selected, the real mystery began. Who was coming up next? Toronto

began. Who was coming up next? Toronto

had the fourth pick. And with numerous high-profile prospects still available, they ultimately selected a power forward from Georgia Tech, Chris Bosch. I don't

remember doing that well in a workout for the Raptors. I was going up against Nick Collison a few times and sometimes I played better than him and sometimes he played better than me. But then I went to Miami and they had the number five pick. When it was over, they said,

five pick. When it was over, they said, "We like you, but we hear you're going to be gone by our pick." That was the first time I realized I was probably going to go in the top four, Chris Bosch. Miami had the fifth pick, and

Bosch. Miami had the fifth pick, and their main doubt was whether to draft big man Chris Cayman or guard Dwayne Wade.

>> At the draft, the night of the draft, there's this story that went around that I wanted to take Chris Cayman.

>> Yeah. cuz we needed a big. Zo was gone.

Zo had had left the team and so we needed a big.

>> And even though he had a great year at Marquette, a lot of people had questions about Wade. He was undersized for a

about Wade. He was undersized for a shooting guard and didn't have a great jump shot. He also wasn't a classic

jump shot. He also wasn't a classic point guard. So he attended 12 different

point guard. So he attended 12 different workouts with teams to prove himself. I

>> I worked out for like 13 teams and in a like a certain amount of days, you know, it was a it was like 15 16 days of like working out. So I had backto backtoback

working out. So I had backto backtoback workouts. Some I was great in, some I

workouts. Some I was great in, some I was terrible in. When we're frying commercial and I'm we getting delayed at the airport, you're getting in at 3:00 in the morning, you up early to work out. So the day of the draft, the whole

out. So the day of the draft, the whole day, the whole week, I was just numb. I

mean, I knew I did everything I I could have did in my in my workouts.

>> But one of those workouts happened to be in front of Pat Riley, who didn't even know what Wade looked like. During the

pre-draft process, Riley came to Chicago to work out Chris Cayman. And while he was waiting for Cayman to come out for the workout, Dwayne was working out at the other end of the gym with Tim Grover. Pat turned [music] and said,

Grover. Pat turned [music] and said, "Who's that? Who's that kid down there?"

"Who's that? Who's that kid down there?"

They told him it was Wade. And Riley was mesmerized by his athleticism.

>> And I just saw something special. And I

say this because, you know, greatness stands out. It just stands out.

stands out. It just stands out.

>> Then he decided to take a closer look at the guard. And even though Wade didn't

the guard. And even though Wade didn't have a great workout with the Heat and was visibly nervous, on the day of the draft, Riley called his trainer Tim Grover, who also worked with Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, to inquire about

D. Wade. But the day of the draft, Pat

D. Wade. But the day of the draft, Pat Riley called me. He said, "All right, Tim. Wade or Cayman, who would you

Tim. Wade or Cayman, who would you take?" I had worked with both of them,

take?" I had worked with both of them, and I was honored that he called me to ask my opinion. I was thinking about [music] it, and the 1984 draft flashed in my mind when Portland took Sam Bowie ahead of Michael Jordan. I told him to

take Dwayne, Tim Grover. Um, so I'm sitting there in the draft room and I'm like, "Okay, in my mind I'm like, the draft starts at the fifth pick." You

know, the first four I already knew. So

I'm like, "Here we go. Who's going

five?" And next thing you know, my agent comes over and he says, "Hey, the Heat about to take you at five." And I'm just like, "What?" Like, it was mindboggling

like, "What?" Like, it was mindboggling to me that I was about to go to fifth pick in the draft.

>> He like, "Don't change your expression."

Cuz the camera's around. So I'm just looking. I'm just like, [music]

looking. I'm just like, [music] something came over my body just I was just stuck. And then my sister started

just stuck. And then my sister started crying and then my wife started crying.

I'm like, "Oh my god." And then David Stern came out like 10 seconds later.

>> With the fifth pick in the 2003 NBA draft, the Miami Heat select Dwayne Wade from Marquette University.

With the number six pick, the LA Clippers took Cayman, who later became their franchise center and an all-star.

The Bulls, disappointed they missed out on Wade, took Kirk Heinrich with the number seven pick, who turned out to be one of the grittiest defensive point guards in the league. Guy like Kurt Hinrich played me very well.

>> You know what I mean? And people like Kurt Hinrich.

>> He frustrated the hell out of me too for some reason.

>> Great position defender. Mar didn't go for shot figs. Didn't go for no punk either.

>> No. And he was tough. He went back down.

He love defense.

>> Yeah. [music]

>> And when I when I got him when I had a game where I score 40 Well, I walked away with my chest poked out. [laughter]

>> You know what I mean? Cuz it was so many nights where I had to work hard to get those points. Shout out to Kurt Himer,

those points. Shout out to Kurt Himer, man. Just underrated defender. The Bucks

man. Just underrated defender. The Bucks

then selected solid but not spectacular point guard TJ Ford at number eight. The

Knicks didn't [music] make a good selection, drafting a big man Mike Sweetney at number nine, who would be out of the league in four years. In the

rest of the lottery, the SuperSonics [music] did a good job picking Nick Collison at number 12, who despite a limited production, became one of the most legendary players for the franchise, spending his entire 14-year

career with the team. The 2003 draft produced numerous American-born stars, but it didn't quite become the international revolution. Some in the

international revolution. Some in the league expected, including Milichic.

Eight international players were drafted in the first round and 20 were taken overall. Both of which were records.

overall. Both of which were records.

However, none of them became stars. The

most successful were Boris Dao, Carlos Delfino, Leandro Barbosa, and Zaza Patulia. With Dial winning the most

Patulia. With Dial winning the most improved player award and Barbosa winning the sixth man of the year. That

international interest from league executives pushed down some players who might have gone higher, including future all-stars David West, Josh Howard, and Mo [music] Williams. Williams was selected 47th overall. But he wasn't the

last pick of the draft to make the all-star team. That honor goes to Kyle

all-star team. That honor goes to Kyle Corber, a 6'7 sharpshooter from Kraton, who got selected 51st overall by the Nets. The draft night, [music] we were

Nets. The draft night, [music] we were sitting in my dorm room. I was like, looking back, I'm like, I wasn't with my family. Like, I was in my dorm room.

family. Like, I was in my dorm room.

Like, this was like I did not plan this out well at all. I was by myself in the beginning.

>> Why were you in your dorm room?

>> I didn't know. Well, I I don't I I thought I was I actually thought I was going to go up quite a bit higher. It's

easy to see why Corver fell so low since shooting wasn't viewed as a premium back then. While all the GMs believed his

then. While all the GMs believed his lack of athleticism would hinder Corver's NBA future before the draft, teams kept putting me against the best athletes available to see if I could guard him," Corver said. By the end, my

confidence was just I don't know, man.

Despite drafting Corver, the Nets never thought much of him, so they quickly traded him to Philadelphia for monetary compensation. And to make things even

compensation. And to make things even more embarrassing, they used this money for entry fees to play in the summer league. [music] And with the leftover

league. [music] And with the leftover money, they famously bought a copy machine.

>> But it's okay cuz a couple years ago, that copy machine broke and I'm still playing.

[applause] >> It would turn out to be one of the biggest mistakes in franchise history as Corver became one of the best shooters of all time, leading the league in three-point percentage three times,

becoming an all-star in 2015 and surviving in the NBA for 17 years. Got

it. Kyle Corver sets the new NBA record.

>> Corver still holds the NBA record for three-point shooting percentage in a single season after he made a whopping 53.6% of his threes in 2010. And even

though he went undrafted in 2003, Spanish point guard Jose Calderon holds one NBA record that'll probably never be broken. the highest single season free

broken. the highest single season free throw [music] percentage set in 2009 with a 98.1% success rate, making 151 out of 154 free

throws. Because of its depth and star

throws. Because of its depth and star power, the 2003 draft proved to be one of the best classes in NBA history. The

best drafts, like the 1996 class, have a total of 37 AllNBA selections, while the 1984 draft made the AllNBA a whopping 47

times. But 2003 wasn't far behind with

times. But 2003 wasn't far behind with 36 AllNBA nods, largely thanks to LeBron, who holds the NBA record with 21 AllNBA teams. Nine different all-stars

also ranks among the best results ever, as only five different classes had more all-stars than the 2003 crop. The same

goes for Hall of Fame. Each year,

roughly two Hall of Famers enter the NBA on average. And with four Hall of Famers

on average. And with four Hall of Famers in this draft, the 2003 class ranks fifth all time. But even though the 1970,774, 84, [music] and 96 drafts produced more

Hall of Famers, the 2003 class edges them in terms of depth. From 1984 to 2014, an average of 19 players per draft had 10-year NBA careers. The average NBA

career is just 4.5 years. And if a player lasts more than a decade, that's rare. In 2003, 27 players played for 10

rare. In 2003, 27 players played for 10 [music] or more years, the most ever.

And this class also has the most players with career win shares over 25, a stat that measures productivity over time, proving that the 03 class was the best in terms of longevity. The 2003 class

also yielded three scoring champions, the best mark ever, and has the most champions in this century with 27.

>> And we are shitty.

>> If Darko wasn't such a hotthead and actually gave a damn about his career, this draft class could have been even better with easily the best top [music] five picks of all time. But if we were to do a reddraft, the top five picks

would look fairly similar to what really happened. LeBron should have been the

happened. LeBron should have been the first overall pick, followed by Dwayne Wade, whom the Pistons should have drafted with the second pick. Carmelo

would then stay with the Nuggets at number three, while Chris Bosch would have ended up with Toronto at number four. [music] The fifth best player in

four. [music] The fifth best player in this class was probably David West, originally the 18th pick, followed by Josh Howard, who was selected 29th overall. Howard was a one-time all-star

overall. Howard was a one-time all-star and he averaged 18 points per game between 2006 and 2009 before an ACL injury derailed his career. Kyle Corver

should have been drafted at number seven while Chris Cayman, Kirk Hinrich, and Mo Williams would round out the top 10. For

the rest of the lottery picks in the reddraft, we go for Boris Dial, Leandro Barbosa, Zaza Patullia, and Kendrick Perkins, who for a while was one of the best rim protectors in the NBA. And

because this class also had James Jones, Jason Capono, and Matt Bonner, who were all tremendous three-point shooters, serviceable forwards like Carlos Delfino, Michael Petus, and Luke Walton,

and solid guards like TJ Ford, Luke Riddenau, and Dante Jones, it was really hard to go wrong in the 2003 [music] draft. The only big losers were the

draft. The only big losers were the Knicks and of course the Pistons. Even

though they won the championship in the following season with Darko playing a total of 14 playoff minutes that season, scoring one point [music] and three rebounds. But even with Milichic

rebounds. But even with Milichic becoming a bust, the 2003 class was one of the most successful ever [music] and will forever remain one of the most legendary draft classes of all time.

Thank you for watching and if you like this video, we have another one for you right here.