The 2003 top picks

The 2003 NBA Draft Class had four of the top five picks reaching superstar status and all four became multiple All-Stars. Yup, LeBron James was the top gun of that class and there’s no need to elaborate on the newly baptized LABron.  He was followed by 7-foot Serbian center Darko Milicic who had an uneventful, multi-team, 10-year career.  At least Darko won a title with the Detroit Pistons during his rookie year, at that time at 18-years old, the youngest player to play in an NBA Finals and the youngest international player to play in the NBA.

Milicic retired from basketball in 2013 and pursued a kickboxing career but the sport was not kind to him as he was promptly TKO’d in his first fight, losing to a more experienced fighter.  He now owns and happily tends a large apple farm in his native Serbia and is also involved in some charity work.

Coming after Darko at third was Carmelo Anthony.  He’s a scoring machine and that’s about it.  He had productive seasons with Denver (led the Nuggets to the playoffs from 2004 to 2011) and New York (set a Knicks franchise single-game scoring record of 62 points) but in his one year stint with Oklahoma, he had trouble coexisting with two other superstars.  As a Thunder, he submitted a career low scoring average of 16.2 points per game.  With a developing Melo-drama, he will be on his fourth team when the season opens and could possibly be wearing the colors of Houston.

At fourth pick was Chris Bosh.  Spending his first seven seasons with Toronto, Bosh became the Raptors’ all-time leader in points, rebounds, blocks, double-doubles, free throws attempted and made and minutes played.  He moved to Miami in 2010 and together with LeBron and the 5th pick of the 2003 Rookie Class, won two consecutive NBA titles.  Because of blood clots on his legs, Bosh was prevented from playing in the second half of the 2016 season and since the medical problem persisted, the Heat waived him in July 2017.

Another Miami stalwart is at 5th pick and is well-loved by the organization.  Dwayne Wade in only his third season, led the Heat to their first-ever NBA title and became the 2006 league MVP.  Later teaming up with LeBron and Bosh, they appeared in 4 consecutive NBA Finals (2011-2014) winning two titles in a row (2012-2013).

After 13 seasons, Wade was traded to Chicago in 2016 and in the latter half of 2017 dealt to Cleveland.  He was traded back to Miami in February 2018 and was a solid contributor off the bench, playing in 26 regular season and playoff games averaging almost 13 points per outing.  Like Bosh during his time in Toronto, he is Miami’s all-time leader in games played, points, assists, steals, shots made and taken.

D-Wade is now 36 and is uncertain if he’ll be back for his 16th season. Miami would like him to be back and as per Heat President Pat Riley, “I want him back as a player.  I want him back as a competitor.  I want him back as a guy who wants to the greatest year he had as a player.”

If he does decide to play for Miami, he will have to settle for the $2.4 million veteran’s minimum salary or the $5.3 million mid-level exception. The Heat cannot offer him more because they are above the salary cap.  A team from the Chinese Basketball League is making things interesting as they are offering him a much tempting $25 million, 3-year deal.

Another 2003 alumnus who had spent his entire career with the Heat franchise is Udonis Haslem.  Like Wade, he is also undecided on returning for his 16th season.  Both were on Miami’s three championship seasons.

Notables on the 2003 Class are Lakers coach Luke Walton, former Lakers Brian Cook, Steve Blake and Chris Kaman, former Golden State Warriors David West and Zaza Pachulia, current Cavalier Kyle Korver, the recently retired Nick Collison who spent his entire 14-year career with Seattle/Oklahoma and internationals Boris Diaw, Leandro Barbosa and Carlos Delfino.

Of the above named, Melo and Korver are the only active players on this class yet to win their first NBA title.   Like LeBron, Bosh and Wade, Walton, West and Pachulia have at least two league titles.  Barbosa and Diaw left the NBA with a championship ring on their fingers.