The 2003 NBA Draft was one of the most anticipated drafts the league has ever seen and there was one reason for this… LeBron James. The Memphis Grizzlies finished the 2002-03 season with a 28-54 record, which was the sixth worst record in the league.
This almost guaranteed the Grizzlies a top pick in the 2003 Draft, but first-year team president Jerry West wasn’t smiling. Memphis would have to forfeit any pick they get unless they land the number one pick.
The reason for this was thanks to a 1997 trade for Otis Thorpe, who was a member of the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons owned the Grizzlies pick, unless, as mentioned earlier, they received the top pick.
Of course, West, who was always known for spotting talent, wanted Memphis to land the first pick so they could draft LeBron James. As the ping-pong balls bounced at the Draft Lottery, every team representative prayed it would be their turn to draft a generational young talent.
West, who was representing the Grizzlies at the Draft Lottery, wasn’t too thrilled at first, as his team only had a 6.4% chance of landing the number one pick. Then, the picks were called.
First, the Grizzlies were awarded the 13th pick, which came to them from the Houston Rockets. This meant West’s team was still in the running for LeBron James.
The 12th pick went to the Seattle SuperSonics and the 11th ended up going to the Golden State Warriors. Now, it was time for the top 10 and West was anxious to see where his team’s selection would fall.
The Washington Wizards landed the 10th pick, while the New York Knicks received the 9th pick. The Atlanta Hawks were awarded the 8th pick, but their selection would go to the Milwaukee Bucks via a trade.
When the seventh pick was awarded to the Chicago Bulls, West started to feel anxious as his team was getting closer to the number one pick. The sixth pick went to the Los Angeles Clippers, and the fifth pick was awarded to the Miami Heat.
After the fourth pick fell into the hands of the Toronto Raptors, West spoke about what it would mean for the Grizzlies to get the number one pick.
“Well, you know, in this league, a lot of times people get drafted very high, and sometimes they don’t play very well,” West said. “And we’re hopeful that this will be the year that we get a number one pick.
“Because in a city like Memphis, one of the things we feel we really need is a star who can get people to look at this team in a little bit different manner and also try to build a team that’s for the city, and more importantly represent the best of the NBA.”
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The third pick was announced to belong to the Denver Nuggets. This meant the Grizzlies had a 50% shot at landing the first pick and the ability to draft LeBron James. Then, reality struck. The Grizzlies were awarded the second pick, which meant Memphis had to give the pick up to the Pistons.
West’s face said it all. He was disappointed as the Grizzlies’ future certainly would not turn out like if they drafted James.
The Draft Aftermath For Cavaliers And Grizzlies
The NBA Draft turned into a storybook. James, who is from Akron, Ohio, would be drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, who won the first pick in the Draft.
It would take 13 years, and for James to leave for Miami, just to return, to bring the city of Cleveland an NBA championship. Still, the storybook ending was complete for Cleveland.
As for Memphis, the Grizzlies have yet to reach the NBA Finals, let alone win an NBA title. Who knows, if Jerry West’s team landed the number one pick, maybe the city of Memphis could have celebrated an NBA championship.
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