Most NBA draft lotteries go by relatively free from so much fanfare. 2003 was different because people were excited to see where a certain kid from Akron, Ohio, was going to land. While which team was going to get the No. 1 spot was unclear, what was sure was that the pick wouldn’t be used on anyone other than LeBron James .
Still, no one was more invested in the lottery than James himself, as it would determine where he would start his professional career. He once shared about waiting on which franchise would hold the first overall pick, mentioning the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, and Cleveland Cavaliers as the possibilities. Interestingly, LBJ singled out the Memphis Grizzlies as the team that didn’t cross his mind.
“My mind was moving fast,” James said of the draft lottery . “I was thinking about a lot of different possibilities. I was thinking about Chicago winning it because I’d been a Bulls fan when I was younger. I knew New York was in there. Not everyone was rooting for Cleveland. People had different picks. Some people wanted me to go to Miami for obvious reasons. I never thought once about Memphis.”