This year's draft class doesn't look all that impressive, especially when you compare it to 2003's legendary class. Here are some names to jog your memory: Chris Bosh, Darko Milicic, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron James.
You have three consecutive Finals appearances with Wade, Bosh, and James—the reigning Finals and season MVP. Then you have one of the league's most dominant offensive players in Anthony. With No. 2 pick Milicic you have a career average of a whopping 6.0 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 1.3 BPG. That pick didn't turn out so well for the Pistons.
This draft was a big moment for an NBA that was losing a lot of fan interest at that point. These were some of the league's most hyped players in recent history, and fortunately for us—and David Stern—they lived up to it. ESPN published an oral account of the events surrounding the draft, including James' regrets about that god awful white suit, Jerry West's (then-Grizzlies general manager) sour reaction to not getting the first pick, and the aftermath.
Check it out here and look below for a clip of the 2003 Draft Lottery (which has that classic West reaction).
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[via ESPN]
