Who Was In The 2003 Nba Draft Class?

The 2003 NBA draft class was one of the most talented and deepest in recent memory. With LeBron James leading the way, this class also featured Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Carmelo Anthony.

2003 NBA Draft

The 2003 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2003, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. The draft was broadcast on ESPN.

Notable Draftees

The 2003 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2003, at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, the NBA saw a record number of high school players drafted as priorities for the league shifted towards younger and more athletic players. The class would feature four future MVPs (LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul and Derrick Rose), as well as multiple all-stars and an NBA champion (Wade). A total of nine foreign players were drafted, with five coming from the African continent. This was also the last draft to date where three players were drafted from the same college in the first round.

Trades

The 2003 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2003, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The NBA announced that 42 college and high school players and a record 31 international players had filed as early entry candidates for the 2003 NBA draft.[1] The Cleveland Cavaliers, who had a 22.50 percent probability of obtaining the first selection,[2] won the NBA draft lottery on May 22, and Cleveland chairman Gordon Gund said he would select LeBron James.[3][4] The Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets were second and third respectively.

In the process of the draft, many trades were conducted. For example:
* The Memphis Grizzlies traded Gordan Giricek, Bruno Šundov and Jason Williams to the Orlando Magic for Drew Gooden, Steven Hunter, Ryan Humphrey and cash considerations.[5][6][7]
* The Miami Heat traded Caron Butler to the Los Angeles Lakers for Rasual Butler and Brian Grant.[8]
* The Houston Rockets traded Steve Francis to the Orlando Magic for Tracy McGrady.[9]

Aftermath

The 2003 NBA draft class is one of the most talented and deepest in recent memory. Many of the draftees have gone on to have long and successful careers in the NBA. However, there have also been a number of players who have not lived up to their potential or have had their careers cut short due to injury. Let’s take a look at some of the most notable players from the 2003 NBA draft class.

All-Rookie Teams

Garnett and LeBron weren’t the only members of the 2003 class to make an All-Rookie team. The other 10 members were: Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets), Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors), Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat), Kirk Hinrich (Chicago Bulls), Nick Collison (Seattle SuperSonics), Leandro Barbosa (Phoenix Suns), T.J. Ford (Milwaukee Bucks), Josh Howard (Dallas Mavericks), Chris Kaman (Los Angeles Clippers) and Kyle Korver (Philadelphia 76ers).

Retirements

In order to understand the magnitude of the draft class of 2003, one must first understand how dominant they were. From the very beginning, this class was special. LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade were all taken within the first five picks and would go on to become some of the best players of their generation. These four players, along with a few others, would go on to have tremendous careers.

The 2003 draft class also produced a number of role players who had long and successful careers. Several members of this class are still active today and are playing at a high level. All in all, the 2003 draft class was one of the best in NBA history.

Sadly, many members of this class have already retired. Some have retired due to injury while others have simply chosen to walk away from the game. Here is a list of players from the 2003 draft class who have already retired:
-Dwyane Wade
-Chris Bosh
-LeBron James
-Carmelo Anthony