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. The NBA announced that 41 college and high school players and a record 31 international players had filed as early-entry candidates for the 2003 NBA draft. The Cleveland Cavaliers, who had a 22.50 percent probability of obtaining the first selection, won the NBA draft lottery on May 22, and Cleveland chairman Gordon Gund said afterward his team would select LeBron James, and they did. The Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets were second and third, respectively. This draft was the first draft to be aired on ESPN after they picked up the license from TNT. The 2003 draftees represented one of the deepest talent pools in NBA history. The draft contained 15 players who combined for 26 championships. Four of the top five picks were NBA All-Stars and "Redeem Team" Olympic Gold Medalists: Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, and James, while three of those top five—James, Wade, and Bosh—were members of the Miami Heat Big Three. Nine of the players drafted were named All-Stars at least once. As of 2026, James is the last remaining active player from this draft class, having held this distinction since Anthony's retirement in 2023.
| 2003 NBA draft | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Date | June 26, 2003 |
| Location | The Theater at Madison Square Garden (New York City, New York) |
| Network | ESPN |
| Overview | |
| 58 total selections in 2 rounds | |
| League | NBA |
| First selection | LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) |
| Hall of Famers | 3
|
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 41 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, won the NBA draft lottery on May 22, and Cleveland chairman Gordon Gund said afterward his team would select LeBron James, and they did.[2][3] The Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets were second and third, respectively. This draft was the first draft to be aired on ESPN after they picked up the license from TNT.
The 2003 draftees represented one of the deepest talent pools in NBA history. The draft contained 15 players who combined for 26 championships. Four of the top five picks were NBA All-Stars and "Redeem Team" Olympic Gold Medalists: Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, and James, while three of those top five—James, Wade, and Bosh—were members of the Miami Heat Big Three. Nine of the players drafted were named All-Stars at least once. As of 2026, James is the last remaining active player from this draft class, having held this distinction since Anthony's retirement in 2023.
Overview
[edit]Four of the top five picks of the 2003 draft became NBA All-Stars and "Redeem Team" Olympic Gold Medalists: Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron James, while three of those top 5—James, Wade, and Bosh—were each selected as the 1st, 4th, and 5th picks in the draft respectively, and became scoring leaders for their respective franchises over their first seven seasons before they all formed a superteam together for the Miami Heat named the Big Three, also known as the Heatles, from the 2010–11 season to the 2013–14 season.[4][5][6] During the trio's four seasons together, the Heat advanced to the NBA Finals each year and won two NBA championships. James won NBA Most Valuable Player awards in 2012 and 2013 and was named to the All-NBA First Team in all four seasons, while Wade was All-NBA Second Team in 2011 and All-NBA Third Team in 2012 and 2013. All three of Bosh, Wade, and James were NBA All-Stars during all four seasons together. Nine players have participated in an All-Star Game. Dwyane Wade was named NBA Finals MVP in 2006 and won NBA championships with the Miami Heat in 2006, 2012 and 2013, as well as the NBA All Star Game MVP in 2010. Boris Diaw won the Most Improved Player Award in 2006, Jason Kapono won the three point contest in back-to-back years in 2007 and 2008, James Jones won the three point contest in 2011, Leandro Barbosa won the Sixth Man Award in 2007, Kyle Korver set the NBA record for three point shooting percentage in 2010 (53.6%), and in the 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2013 seasons, LeBron James won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award, and the NBA Finals MVP in 2012, 2013, 2016, and 2020. Carmelo Anthony won the 2013 NBA scoring title and was the only player in NBA history to win at least three Olympic gold medals[7] until Kevin Durant won his third one in 2020. Zaza Pachulia and David West won NBA championships with the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018. Matt Bonner won NBA championships with the San Antonio Spurs in 2007 and 2014. Dahntay Jones and Mo Williams won the NBA championship in 2016 with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Luke Walton won three NBA championships, two as a player with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and 2010 and one as an assistant coach with the Warriors in 2015. Chris Bosh left the Toronto Raptors in 2010 as its all-time leader in points, rebounds, blocks, double doubles, free throws made and attempted, and minutes played; he went on to win championships with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013.
The 2003 draft class has drawn comparisons to the 1984 and 1996 NBA draft classes[8] but is also known for the Detroit Pistons' selection of Darko Miličić with the second overall pick over other prospects who went on to have much more success in the league.[8] As of 2026, LeBron James is the only remaining active player from the 2003 draft class.
Eleven of the players selected in this draft never played in an NBA game throughout their professional basketball careers. Two of those players were the sole selection of the draft by their respective teams: Malick Badiane (Houston's only pick) and Paccelis Morlende (Philadelphia's only pick).
Draft selections
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| PG | Point guard | SG | Shooting guard | SF | Small forward | PF | Power forward | C | Center |
| ^ | Denotes player who has been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| * | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game and All-NBA Team |
| + | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game |
| # | Denotes player who has never appeared in an NBA regular-season or playoff game |
| ~ | Denotes player who has been selected as Rookie of the Year |
^ a: Chris Kaman was born in the United States, but also has German citizenship through his great-grandparents and competes internationally for Germany.[33]
Notable undrafted players
[edit]These players were not selected in the 2003 NBA draft, but have played at least one game in the NBA.
| Player | Position | Nationality | School/club team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earl Barron | C |  United States
|
Memphis (Sr.) |
| Kevin Burleson | PG | United States
|
Minnesota (Sr.) |
| José Calderón | PG |  Spain
|
Tau Cerámica (Spain) |
| Matt Carroll | SG | United States
|
Notre Dame (Sr.) |
| Marquis Daniels | SG | United States
|
Auburn (Sr.) |
| Ronald Dupree | SF | United States
|
LSU (Sr.) |
| Noel Felix | PF | United States Belize
|
Fresno State (Sr.) |
| Hiram Fuller | PF | United States Libya
|
Fresno State (Sr.) |
| Britton Johnsen | SF/PF | United States
|
Utah (Sr.) |
| Desmond Penigar | PF | United States
|
Utah State (Sr.) |
| Kirk Penney | SG/SF |  New Zealand
|
Wisconsin (Sr.) |
| Josh Powell | PF | United States
|
NC State (So.) |
| Kasib Powell | SF | United States
|
Texas Tech (Sr.) |
| Quinton Ross | SG | United States
|
SMU (Sr.) |
| Melvin Sanders | SG/SF | United States
|
Oklahoma State (Sr.) |
| James Singleton | SF/PF | United States
|
Murray State (Sr.) |
| Theron Smith | SF/PF | United States
|
Ball State (Sr.) |
Draft lottery
[edit]| ^ | Denotes the actual lottery result |
| Team | 2002–03 record |
Lottery | Lottery probabilities | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | ||||
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 17–65 | 225 | .225^ | .215 | .178 | .357 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Denver Nuggets | 17–65 | 225 | .225 | .188 | .171^ | .319 | .123 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Toronto Raptors | 24–58 | 157 | .157 | .157 | .156 | .226^ | .265 | .040 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Miami Heat | 25–57 | 120 | .120 | .126 | .133 | .099 | .350^ | .161 | .013 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Los Angeles Clippers | 28–54 | 89 | .089 | .097 | .107 | — | .261 | .360^ | .084 | .004 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 28–54 | 64 | .064 | .071^ | .081 | — | — | .440 | .304 | .040 | .001 | — | — | — | — | |
| Chicago Bulls | 30–52 | 44 | .044 | .049 | .058 | — | — | — | .599^ | .232 | .018 | .000 | — | — | — | |
| Atlanta Hawks | 35–47 | 29 | .029 | .022 | .027 | — | — | — | — | .724^ | .197 | .011 | .000 | — | — | |
| New York Knicks | 37–45 | 15 | .015 | .022 | .027 | — | — | — | — | — | .784^ | .143 | .005 | .000 | — | |
| Washington Wizards | 37–45 | 14 | .014 | .021 | .025 | — | — | — | — | — | — | .846^ | .087 | .002 | .000 | |
| Golden State Warriors | 38–44 | 7 | .007 | .009 | .012 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | .907^ | .063 | .001 | |
| Seattle SuperSonics | 40–42 | 6 | .006 | .008 | .010 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | .935^ | .039 | |
| Houston Rockets | 43–39 | 5 | .005 | .007 | .009 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | .960^ | |
Early entrants
[edit]College underclassmen
[edit]In terms of underclassmen declaring for this year's draft, the number of players available for entry this year would increase up to 73 after previously being down a bit the previous year. However, it would also see the most withdrawn entries from underclassmen either in college, overseas, or even high school in the case of Charlie Villanueva with 27 total people doing exactly that. As such, there would actually be 46 underclassmen that qualified as such for this year's draft, which would be an overall step down when compared to last year's official number of underclassmen entering the NBA draft. The following college basketball players successfully applied for early draft entrance.[34]
- Chris Alexander – C, Iowa State (junior)
- Carmelo Anthony – F, Syracuse (freshman)
- Mario Austin – F, Mississippi State (junior)
- Ronald Blackshear – G, Marshall (junior)
- Chris Bosh – F, Georgia Tech (freshman)
- Lamar Castile – G, CC of Beaver County (sophomore)
- Rod Edwards – G, Ouachita Baptist (junior)
Carl English – G, Hawaii (junior)- T. J. Ford – G, Texas (sophomore)
- Zack Fray – F, Santa Ana (sophomore)
- Jonathan Hargett – G, West Virginia (freshman)
- David Hamilton – F, Salem International (junior)
- Jarvis Hayes – F/G, Georgia (junior)
- Maurice Jackson – F, Texas–Permian (junior)
- Richard Jeter – G, Atlanta Metro (sophomore)
Chris Kaman – C, Central Michigan (junior)- Josh Powell – F, NC State (sophomore)
- Rick Rickert – F, Minnesota (sophomore)
- Luke Ridnour – G, Oregon (junior)
- Rob Smith – F, North Carolina Wesleyan (junior)
- Michael Sweetney – F, Georgetown (junior)
- Dwyane Wade – G, Marquette (junior)
- Mo Williams – G, Alabama (sophomore)
- Doug Wrenn – F/G, Washington (junior)
High school players
[edit]This would be the ninth straight year in a row where at least one high school player would declare their entry into the NBA draft directly out of high school after previously only allowing it one time back in 1975. However, it would be one of the most famous ones due to the entry of high school phenom LeBron James entering the NBA draft this year, being the second high schooler to be drafted at #1 behind only Kwame Brown back in 2001, as well as being the second high schooler to win the NBA Rookie of the Year Award behind Amar'e Stoudemire only a year prior. This draft also saw a high schooler named Charlie Villanueva initially enter for the NBA draft, but withdraw his name and go to college before the draft began. The following high school players successfully applied for early draft entrance.[34]
Ndudi Ebi – F, Westbury Christian School (Houston, Texas)- LeBron James – G, St. Vincent–St. Mary High School (Akron, Ohio)
- James Lang – F, Central Park Christian High School (Birmingham, Alabama)
- Travis Outlaw – F, Starkville High School (Starkville, Mississippi)
- Kendrick Perkins – F, Clifton J. Ozen High School (Beaumont, Texas)
International players
[edit]The following international players successfully applied for early draft entrance.[34]
Malick Badiane – F, Langen (Germany)
Leandro Barbosa – G, Bauru Tilibra (Brazil)
Carlos Delfino – G, Skipper Bologna (Italy)
Boris Diaw – F, Pau-Orthez (France)
Maciej Lampe – F, Universidad Complutense (Spain)
Darko Miličić – F, Hemofarm Vršac (Serbia and Montenegro)
Zaza Pachulia – F/C, Ülker (Turkey)- Aleksandar Pavlović – G/F, Budućnost (Serbia and Montenegro)
- Mickaël Piétrus – G, Pau-Orthez (France)
Zoran Planinić – G, Cibona (Croatia)
Sofoklis Schortsanitis – F, Iraklis (Greece)
Nedžad Sinanović – C, Brotnjo (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Jón Arnór Stefánsson – G, Trier (Germany)- Szymon Szewczyk – F, Braunschweig (Germany)
Remon van de Hare – C/F, FC Barcelona (Spain)- Slavko Vraneš – C, Budućnost (Serbia and Montenegro)
Xue Yuyang – F, Hong Kong Flying Dragons (China)
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "NBA Announces Early-Entry Candidates". NBA. Archived from the original on April 27, 2007. Retrieved April 20, 2007.
- ^ "Cavaliers Win NBA Draft Lottery 2003". NBA. Archived from the original on December 26, 2007. Retrieved April 20, 2007.
- ^ The Associated Press (June 26, 2003). "LeBron James Selected First by Cleveland". The New York Times.
- ^ Brian Windhorst (September 27, 2016). "The melancholy end to the Big Three era in Miami". ESPN. Retrieved March 28, 2026.
- ^ Vardon, Joe (May 27, 2022). "Can Jimmy Butler be Miami's 'Heatles' LeBron James for Game 6 in Boston?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 28, 2026.
- ^ "ASK IRA: For the Heat, is the froth in the fit of a new Big 3?". Sun Sentinel. August 6, 2023. Retrieved March 28, 2026.
- ^ "Carmelo Anthony wins third gold medal, says he's finished with Team USA". August 21, 2016. Archived from the original on August 26, 2016. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
- ^ a b "2003 draft eventually may be best in history". MSNBC. Archived from the original on January 26, 2007. Retrieved April 19, 2007.
- ^ "Most anticipated No. 1 draft picks". CBC Sports. July 27, 2005. Archived from the original on June 21, 2008. Retrieved June 16, 2008.
- ^ Smith, Mark David. "NBA Draft: Is Darko Milicic the Biggest Draft Bust Ever?". Bleacher Report.
- ^ The Grizzlies traded this pick to the Pistons for Otis Thorpe on August 7, 1997.
Boeck, Greg (August 8, 1997). "Thorpe trade frees Pistons to chase Bulls' Williams". USA Today. p. 12C.
Enlund, Tom (June 28, 2003). "Selections have Pistons popping; Sonics also do well on draft day". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 3C. - ^ The Hawks traded this pick along with Toni Kukoč and Leon Smith to the Bucks for Glenn Robinson on August 2, 2002.
Saladino, Tom (August 3, 2002). "Robinson traded by Milwaukee to Hawks for No. 1 pick and Kukoc". The Associated Press State & Local Wire. - ^ The Rockets traded this pick along with Othella Harrington, Brent Price, Antoine Carr, and Michael Dickerson to the Grizzlies as part of a three-way deal in which the Rockets received draft rights to Steve Francis and Tony Massenburg from Grizzlies and Don MacLean and future first-round draft choice from Orlando Magic, and Magic received Michael Smith, Rodrick Rhodes, Lee Mayberry and Makhtar Ndiaye from Grizzlies on August 27, 1999.
Murphy, Michael (August 27, 1999). "Rockets land Francis, 5 others; Grizzlies get 4 in largest deal in NBA history". The Houston Chronicle. p. 1. - ^ a b c d The Grizzlies traded No. 13 and No. 27 picks to the Celtics for No. 16 and No. 20 picks on the draft day.
Baird, Woody (June 27, 2003). "West wastes no time for draft-night trades". Associated Press. - ^ The Bucks traded this pick along with Ray Allen, Kevin Ollie, and Ronald Murray to the SuperSonics for Gary Payton and Desmond Mason on February 20, 2003.
Ruiz, Don (February 21, 2003). "Goodbye, Glove: Sonics trade Payton; NBA deal: Fan favorite Mason also sent to Milwaukee Bucks". The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington). p. A01. - ^ The 76ers traded this pick along with Roshown McLeod to the Celtics for Jérôme Moïso on August 3, 2001.
Doyle, Bill (August 4, 2001). "Celts move forward in Sixers deal; Little-used Moiso swapped for McLeod, future first-round pick". Telegram & Gazette (Massachusetts). p. B1. - ^ The Pacers traded this pick to the Hawks for Jamaal Tinsley on June 27, 2001.
Marot, Michael (June 28, 2001). "Pacers wait their turn, wind up with 2 guards". The Associated Press State & Local Wire. - ^ The Kings traded this pick along with Tariq Abdul-Wahad to the Magic for Nick Anderson on August 3, 1999.
"Magic trades Anderson for Kings' Abdul-Wahad". The Houston Chronicle. August 4, 1999. p. Sports 9.
The Magic traded this pick along with Mike Miller and Ryan Humphrey to the Grizzlies for Drew Gooden and Gordan Giricek on February 19, 2003.
Scanlon, Dick (March 7, 2003). "Trade Pays Off Quickly". The Ledger. p. C1. - ^ The Spurs traded this pick to the Suns for a future pick (#30 pick in 2005 NBA draft) on June 26, 2003.
Badger, T.A. (June 26, 2003). "Spurs select and then trade Brazilian point guard". The Associated Press State & Local Wire. - ^ The Nuggets traded this pick along with Antonio McDyess and the draft rights to Frank Williams to the Knicks for Marcus Camby, Mark Jackson and the draft rights to Maybyner "Nenê" Hilario on June 26, 2002.
"Knicks blockbuster may be the tip of iceberg". ESPN. June 26, 2002. Archived from the original on July 1, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2016. - ^ a b The Raptors traded No. 32 pick along with Tracy Murray and Kareem Rush to the Lakers for the No. 52 pick, Lindsey Hunter, and Chris Jefferies on June 26, 2002.
Harris, Beth (June 27, 2002). "Lakers trade Hunter, first-round pick to Toronto for Murray". The Associated Press State & Local Wire. - ^ The Grizzlies traded this pick to the Bucks for Chris Owens on June 26, 2002.
Finger, Mike (June 27, 2002). "Owens off to Memphis ; Injury didn't scare off teams". San Antonio Express-News. - ^ a b The 76ers traded No. 41 pick to the SuperSonics for the No. 50 pick and cash during the draft.
"Green has thumb surgery". ESPN. Associated Press. December 5, 2003. Archived from the original on July 1, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2016. - ^ The Bucks traded this pick to the Magic for cash considerations on the draft day.
Mulhern, Tom (June 27, 2003). "Short, to the Point; Bucks Choose Texas' Ford". Wisconsin State Journal. - ^ The Suns traded this pick along with Soumaila Samake to the Bulls for C Jake Voskuhl on October 29, 2001.
"Bulls trade Voskuhl to Suns for draft pick". The Associated Press State & Local Wire. October 29, 2001. - ^ The Bulls traded this pick to the Raptors for a future pick (#38 pick in 2004 NBA draft) on the draft day.
Gray, Kevin (June 27, 2003). "Toronto trades for Bonner". The Union Leader. - ^ The Celtics traded this pick along with Shammond Williams to the Nuggets for Mark Blount and Mark Bryant on February 20, 2003.
"Celtics add bulk with additions of Blount, Bryant". ESPN. Associated Press. February 20, 2003. Archived from the original on September 24, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2009. - ^ The Nets traded this pick to the 76ers for cash considerations on the draft day.
"Korver drafted by Nets, traded to Philadelphia". The Associated Press State & Local Wire. June 27, 2003. - ^ The Pistons traded this pick along with Cedric Ceballos to the Heat for a second-round draft pick (#38 pick in 2002 NBA draft) on November 26, 2000.
The Heat traded this pick to the Bulls for Sean Lampley on October 2, 2001.
"Heat acquire F Lampley from Chicago". The Associated Press State & Local Wire. October 2, 2001. - ^ The Kings traded this pick along with a future pick (#53 pick in 2005 NBA draft) to the Celtics for Darius Songaila on June 23, 2003.
"Celtics Acquire Second round Draft Choice From Sacramento Kings For Rights To Songaila". NBA. June 23, 2003. Archived from the original on June 20, 2017. Retrieved May 20, 2007. - ^ The Mavericks traded this pick to the Nuggets for a future pick (#50 pick in 2004 NBA draft) on the draft day.
"Xue Yuyang Joins Denver After Dallas Draft". China Internet Information Center. June 28, 2003. Archived from the original on October 17, 2007. Retrieved May 20, 2007. - ^ The Spurs traded this pick to the Pistons for Mengke Bateer on October 3, 2002.
"Pistons trade Menks to Spurs". The Associated Press State & Local Wire. October 3, 2002. - ^ Clippers' Kaman becomes German citizen for Olympics Archived June 13, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. Los Angeles Times. July 3, 2008.
- ^ a b c "2003 Underclassmen". The Draft Review. August 4, 2007. Archived from the original on December 23, 2022. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
- "NBA.com Draft 2003". NBA. Archived from the original on April 19, 2007. Retrieved April 20, 2007.
- "Player profiles with their career transaction information". NBA. Archived from the original on April 19, 2007. Retrieved April 20, 2007.
External links
[edit]- ESPN.com Draft 2003 Archived July 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine
- databaseBasketball.com Draft 2003
- "How LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and the 2003 draft class transformed the NBA". SC Featured. ESPN. June 25, 2018. Archived from the original on November 4, 2021 – via YouTube.