The 2003 NBA Draft will forever be remembered as one of the most stacked classes in basketball history. An electric young guard out of Marquette, a promising stretch four out of Georgia Tech, a reigning national champion with powerful scoring abilities, and last but not least — “The Chosen One” from Akron, OH.
Together, these four headlined numerous storylines throughout the 2003-04 NBA season — none bigger than the Rookie of The Year race. While Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade made a reasonable contention for the award earlier in the season, it was clear that the race would come down to Carmelo Anthony and No. 1 overall draft pick LeBron James .
“People are going to think what they want to think,” Anthony said after finishing second place to James, per The Associated Press. “I don’t really know what else I could have done.”
Melo certainly had a strong case. The star forward averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.2 steals on 42.6% shooting from the field. The young Nuggets star stood at the forefront of a 26-win improvement for the franchise in 2004.