2003 NBA draft

Basketball player selection March 2012 2003 NBA draft 2003 NBA Draft logo.png 180px Basketball June 26, 2003 The Theater at Madison Square Garden (New York City, New York) ESPN NBA 58 2 LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) 3 SF Carmelo Anthony PF Chris Bosh SG Dwyane Wade 2002 2004 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.http://www.nba.com/news/draft2003_early_entries.html NBA Announces Early-Entry Candidates April 20, 2007 NBA https://web.archive.org/web/20070427195030/http://www.nba.com/news/draft2003_early_entries.html April 27, 2007 The Cleveland Cavaliers, who had a 22.50 percent probability of obtaining the first selection, won the NBA draft lottery on May 22. Cleveland chairman Gordon Gund said afterward his team intended to select LeBron James, and they did.http://www.nba.com/news/lottery_030522.html Cavaliers Win NBA Draft Lottery 2003 April 20, 2007 NBA https://web.archive.org/web/20071226031904/http://www.nba.com/news/lottery_030522.html December 26, 2007 The Associated Press June 26, 2003 LeBron James Selected First by Cleveland https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/26/sports/basketball/lebron-james-selected-first-by-cleveland.html subscription The New York Times 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, and three of those top five—James, Wade, and Bosh—were members of the Miami Heat Big Three, while the only remaining top five pick—Darko Miličić—never played at the level expected of him in the NBA and is widely considered a draft bust. 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 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.Brian Windhorst 2016-09-27 The melancholy end to the Big Three era in Miami https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/17650279/nba-melancholy-end-big-three-era-miami-heat 2026-03-28 ESPN enVardon Joe 2022-05-27 Can Jimmy Butler be Miami's 'Heatles' LeBron James for Game 6 in Boston? https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/3336039/2022/05/27/jimmy-butler-miami-game-6/ registration 2026-03-28 The New York Times en-US 0362-43312023-08-06 ASK IRA: For the Heat, is the froth in the fit of a new Big 3? https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2023/08/06/ask-ira-for-the-heat-is-the-froth-in-the-fit-of-a-new-big-3/ 2026-03-28 Sun Sentinel en-US 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. Meanwhile, Darko Miličić was selected 2nd overall by the Detroit Pistons; however, he never played at the level expected of him in the NBA and is widely considered a draft bust. 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 medalshttp://www.cbssports.com/olympics/news/carmelo-anthony-wins-third-gold-medal-says-hes-finished-with-team-usa/ Carmelo Anthony wins third gold medal, says he's finished with Team USA August 21, 2016 September 2, 2016 August 26, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160826160348/http://www.cbssports.com/olympics/news/carmelo-anthony-wins-third-gold-medal-says-hes-finished-with-team-usa/ live 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 classeshttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15403154/ 2003 draft eventually may be best in history April 19, 2007 MSNBC https://web.archive.org/web/20070126002445/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15403154/ January 26, 2007 mdy 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. As of 2026, LeBron James is the only remaining active player from the 2003 draft class, having held this distinction since Anthony's retirement in 2023. 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 thumb|upright|LeBron James was one of the most anticipated first overall draft picks in the history of any sport. He is the second high school draftee to be a first overall pick, the first being Kwame Brown in 2001, and was followed by Dwight Howard in 2004.http://www.cbc.ca/sports/columns/top10/draft_picks.html#6 Most anticipated No. 1 draft picks June 16, 2008 CBC Sports July 27, 2005 https://web.archive.org/web/20080621235002/http://www.cbc.ca/sports/columns/top10/draft_picks.html June 21, 2008 live thumb|upright|Carmelo Anthony was selected 3rd overall by the Denver Nuggets. thumb|upright|Chris Bosh, selected 4th overall by the Toronto Raptors, was the first member of the draft class to be elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. thumb|upright|Dwyane Wade was selected 5th overall by the Miami Heat. thumb|upright|Chris Kaman was selected 6th overall by the Los Angeles Clippers. thumb|upright|David West was selected 18th overall by the New Orleans Hornets. thumb|upright|Josh Howard was selected 29th overall by the Dallas Mavericks. thumb|upright|Mo Williams was selected 47th overall by the Utah Jazz. thumb|upright|Kyle Korver was selected 51st overall by the New Jersey Nets (traded to the Philadelphia 76ers). PGPoint guard SGShooting guard SFSmall forward PFPower forward CCenter y y y y y Round Pick Player Position Nationalityn Nationality indicates the player's national team or representative nationality. If a player has not competed at the international level, then the nationality indicates the national team which the player is eligible to represent according to FIBA rules. Team School/club team1 1 LeBron James*~ SF/PF Cleveland Cavaliers St. Vincent–St. Mary HS (Akron, Ohio)1 2 Darko Miličić C Detroit Pistons (from Memphis)The Grizzlies traded this pick to the Pistons for Otis Thorpe on August 7, 1997.Greg Boeck Thorpe trade frees Pistons to chase Bulls' Williams USA Today 12C August 8, 1997Tom Enlund Selections have Pistons popping; Sonics also do well on draft day Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 3C June 28, 2003 Hemofarm Vršac (Serbia and Montenegro)1 3 Carmelo Anthony^ SF/PF United States Denver Nuggets Syracuse (Fr.)1 4 Chris Bosh^ PF/C United States Toronto Raptors Georgia Tech (Fr.)1 5 Dwyane Wade^ SG United States Miami Heat Marquette (Jr.)1 6 Chris Kaman+ C United States Los Angeles Clippers Central Michigan (Jr.)1 7 Kirk Hinrich PG United States Chicago Bulls Kansas (Sr.)1 8 T. J. Ford PG United States Milwaukee Bucks (from Atlanta)The Hawks traded this pick along with Toni Kukoč and Leon Smith to the Bucks for Glenn Robinson on August 2, 2002.Tom Saladino Robinson traded by Milwaukee to Hawks for No. 1 pick and Kukoc The Associated Press State & Local Wire August 3, 2002 Texas (So.)1 9 Michael Sweetney PF United States New York Knicks Georgetown (Jr.)1 10 Jarvis Hayes F/G United States Washington Wizards Georgia (Jr.)1 11 Mickaël Piétrus G/F Golden State Warriors Pau-Orthez (France)1 12 Nick Collison PF United States Seattle SuperSonics Kansas (Sr.)1 13 Marcus Banks PG United States Memphis Grizzlies (from Houston,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.Michael Murphy Rockets land Francis, 5 others; Grizzlies get 4 in largest deal in NBA history The Houston Chronicle 1 August 27, 1999 traded to Boston)The Grizzlies traded No. 13 and No. 27 picks to the Celtics for No. 16 and No. 20 picks on the draft day.Woody Baird West wastes no time for draft-night trades Associated Press June 27, 2003 UNLV (Sr)1 14 Luke Ridnour PG United States Seattle SuperSonics (from Milwaukee)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.Don Ruiz Goodbye, Glove: Sonics trade Payton; NBA deal: Fan favorite Mason also sent to Milwaukee Bucks The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington) A01 February 21, 2003 Oregon (Jr)1 15 Reece Gaines F/G United States Orlando Magic Louisville (Sr)1 16 Troy Bell PG United States Boston Celtics (traded to Memphis) Boston College (Sr)1 17 Žarko Čabarkapa Cabarkapa, Zarko SF Serbia and Montenegro Phoenix Suns Budućnost Podgorica (Serbia and Montenegro and Adriatic League)1 18 David West David West (basketball)+ PF United States New Orleans Hornets Xavier (Sr)1 19 Sasha Pavlović Aleksandar Pavlović (basketball) F/G Serbia and Montenegro Utah Jazz Budućnost Podgorica (Serbia and Montenegro and Adriatic League)1 20 Dahntay Jones SG United States Boston Celtics (from Philadelphia,The 76ers traded this pick along with Roshown McLeod to the Celtics for Jérôme Moïso on August 3, 2001.Bill Doyle Celts move forward in Sixers deal; Little-used Moiso swapped for McLeod, future first-round pick Telegram & Gazette (Massachusetts) B1 August 4, 2001 traded to Memphis) Duke (Sr)1 21 Boris Diaw PF France Atlanta Hawks (from Indiana)The Pacers traded this pick to the Hawks for Jamaal Tinsley on June 27, 2001.Michael Marot Pacers wait their turn, wind up with 2 guards The Associated Press State & Local Wire June 28, 2001 Pau-Orthez (France)1 22 Zoran Planinić G/F New Jersey Nets Cibona Zagreb (Croatia and Adriatic League)1 23 Travis Outlaw SF United States Portland Trail Blazers Starkville HS (Starkville, Mississippi)1 24 Brian Cook Brian Cook (basketball) PF United States Los Angeles Lakers Illinois (Sr)1 25 Carlos Delfino SG Detroit Pistons Skipper Bologna (Italy)1 26 Ndudi Ebi SF Minnesota Timberwolves Westbury Christian HS (Houston, Texas)1 27 Kendrick Perkins C United States Memphis Grizzlies (from Sacramento via Orlando,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 Sports 9 The Houston Chronicle August 4, 1999The Magic traded this pick along with Mike Miller and Ryan Humphrey to the Grizzlies for Drew Gooden and Gordan Giricek on February 19, 2003.Dick Scanlon Trade Pays Off Quickly C1 The Ledger March 7, 2003 traded to Boston) Ozen HS (Beaumont, Texas)1 28 Leandro Barbosa SG San Antonio Spurs (traded to Phoenix)The Spurs traded this pick to the Suns for a future pick (#30 pick in 2005 NBA draft) on June 26, 2003.T.A. Badger Spurs select and then trade Brazilian point guard The Associated Press State & Local Wire June 26, 2003 Bauru Tilibra (Brazil)1 29 Josh Howard+ F/G United States Dallas Mavericks Wake Forest (Sr)2 30 Maciej Lampe PF New York Knicks (from Denver)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. http://www.espn.com/nbadraft/story?id=1399527 Knicks blockbuster may be the tip of iceberg September 11, 2016 June 26, 2002 ESPN July 1, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170701200251/http://www.espn.com/nbadraft/story?id=1399527 live Complutense University of Madrid (Spain)2 31 Jason Kapono F/G United States Cleveland Cavaliers UCLA (Sr)2 32 Luke Walton SF United States Los Angeles Lakers (from Toronto)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.Beth Harris Lakers trade Hunter, first-round pick to Toronto for Murray The Associated Press State & Local Wire June 27, 2002 Arizona (Sr)2 33 Jerome Beasley PF United States Miami Heat North Dakota (Sr)2 34 Sofoklis Schortsanitis# C Los Angeles Clippers Iraklis BC (Greece)2 35 Szymon Szewczyk# PF Poland Milwaukee Bucks (from Memphis)The Grizzlies traded this pick to the Bucks for Chris Owens on June 26, 2002.Mike Finger Owens off to Memphis; Injury didn't scare off teams San Antonio Express-News June 27, 2002 Braunschweig (Germany)2 36 Mario Austin# PF United States Chicago Bulls Mississippi State (Jr)2 37 Travis Hansen SG United States Atlanta Hawks BYU (Sr)2 38 Steve Blake PG United States Washington Wizards Maryland (Sr)2 39 Slavko Vraneš C Serbia and Montenegro New York Knicks Budućnost Podgorica (Serbia and Montenegro and Adriatic League)2 40 Derrick Zimmerman PG United States Golden State Warriors Mississippi State (Sr)2 41 Willie Green SG United States Seattle SuperSonics (traded to Philadelphia)The 76ers traded No. 41 pick to the SuperSonics for the No. 50 pick and cash during the draft. http://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=1679399 Green has thumb surgery September 11, 2016 December 5, 2003 Associated Press ESPN July 1, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170701205053/http://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=1679399 live Detroit (Sr)2 42 Zaza Pachulia PF Georgia 1990 Orlando Magic Ülkerspor (Turkey)2 43 Keith Bogans SG United States Milwaukee Bucks (traded to Orlando)The Bucks traded this pick to the Magic for cash considerations on the draft day.Tom Mulhern Short, to the Point; Bucks Choose Texas' Ford Wisconsin State Journal June 27, 2003 Kentucky (Sr)2 44 Malick Badiane# PF Houston Rockets Langen (Germany)2 45 Matt Bonner F United States Chicago Bulls (from Phoenix,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 traded to Toronto)The Bulls traded this pick to the Raptors for a future pick (#38 pick in 2004 NBA draft) on the draft day.Kevin Gray Toronto trades for Bonner The Union Leader June 27, 2003 Florida (Sr)2 46 Sani Bečirović# SG Denver Nuggets (from Boston)The Celtics traded this pick along with Shammond Williams to the Nuggets for Mark Blount and Mark Bryant on February 20, 2003. http://static.espn.go.com/nba/news/2003/0220/1511804.html Celtics add bulk with additions of Blount, Bryant March 8, 2009 February 20, 2003 Associated Press ESPN September 24, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120924212826/http://static.espn.go.com/nba/news/2003/0220/1511804.html live Virtus Bologna (Italy)2 47 Mo Williams+ PG United States Utah Jazz Alabama (So)2 48 James Lang basketball C United States New Orleans Hornets Central Park Christian HS (Birmingham, Alabama)2 49 James Jones basketball, born 1980 SF United States Indiana Pacers Miami (Florida) (Sr)2 50 Paccelis Morlende# PG France Philadelphia 76ers (traded to Seattle) Dijon (France)2 51 Kyle Korver+ SG United States New Jersey Nets (traded to Philadelphia)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 Creighton (Sr)2 52 Remon van de Hare C Toronto Raptors (from Los Angeles Lakers) FC Barcelona (Spain)2 53 Tommy Smith Tommy Smith (basketball)# PF United States Chicago Bulls (from Detroit via Miami)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 Arizona State (Sr)2 54 Nedžad Sinanović# C Portland Trail Blazers Brotnjo (Bosnia and Herzegovina)2 55 Rick Rickert# PF United States Minnesota Timberwolves Minnesota (So)2 56 Brandon Hunter PF United States Boston Celtics (from Sacramento)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 http://www.nba.com/celtics/roster/062303_DraftChoice.html May 20, 2007 June 23, 2003 NBA June 20, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170620002611/http://www.nba.com/celtics/roster/062303_DraftChoice.html live Ohio (Sr)2 57 Xue Yuyang# C Dallas Mavericks (traded to Denver)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 http://www.china.org.cn/english/2003/Jun/68354.htm China Internet Information Center June 28, 2003 May 20, 2007 October 17, 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20071017054754/http://china.org.cn/english/2003/Jun/68354.htm live Hong Kong Flying Dragons (China)2 58 Andreas Glyniadakis C Greece Detroit Pistons (from San Antonio)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 AEK (Greece) n a Chris Kaman was born in the United States, but also has German citizenship through his great-grandparents and competes internationally for Germany.Clippers' Kaman becomes German citizen for Olympics https://web.archive.org/web/20170613001434/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/olympics_blog/2008/07/clippers-kaman.html June 13, 2017 . Los Angeles Times. July 3, 2008. Notable undrafted players List of undrafted NBA players 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 teamEarl BarronCMemphis (Sr.)Kevin BurlesonPGUnited StatesMinnesota (Sr.)José Calderón José Calderón (basketball)PGTau Cerámica (Spain)Matt Carroll Matt Carroll (basketball)SGUnited StatesNotre Dame (Sr.)Marquis DanielsSGUnited StatesAuburn (Sr.)Ronald DupreeSFUnited StatesLSU (Sr.)Noel FelixPFUnited StatesFresno State (Sr.)Hiram FullerPFUnited StatesLibya 1977Fresno State (Sr.)Britton JohnsenSF/PFUnited StatesUtah (Sr.)Desmond PenigarPFUnited StatesUtah State (Sr.)Kirk PenneySG/SFWisconsin (Sr.)Josh PowellPFUnited StatesNC State (So.)Kasib PowellSFUnited StatesTexas Tech (Sr.)Quinton RossSGUnited StatesSMU (Sr.)Melvin SandersSG/SFUnited StatesOklahoma State (Sr.)James Singleton James Singleton (basketball)SF/PFUnited StatesMurray State (Sr.)Theron SmithSF/PFUnited StatesBall State (Sr.) Draft lottery ^Denotes the actual lottery result Team2002–03recordLotteryLottery probabilities1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th13thCleveland Cavaliers17–65 225 .225^.215.178.357—————————Denver Nuggets17–65 225 .225.188.171^.319.123————————Toronto Raptors24–58 157 .157.157.156.226^.265.040———————Miami Heat25–57 120 .120.126.133.099.350^.161.013——————Los Angeles Clippers28–54 89 .089.097.107—.261.360^.084.004—————Memphis Grizzlies28–54 64 .064.071^.081——.440.304.040.001————Chicago Bulls30–52 44 .044.049.058———.599^.232.018.000———Atlanta Hawks35–47 29 .029.022.027————.724^.197.011.000——New York Knicks37–45 15 .015.022.027—————.784^.143.005.000—Washington Wizards37–45 14 .014.021.025——————.846^.087.002.000Golden State Warriors38–44 7 .007.009.012———————.907^.063.001Seattle SuperSonics40–42 6 .006.008.010————————.935^.039Houston Rockets43–39 5 .005.007.009—————————.960^ Early entrants College underclassmen 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.2003 Underclassmen https://www.thedraftreview.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3050:2003-underclassmen&catid=136&Itemid=384 The Draft Review August 4, 2007 December 23, 2022 December 23, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20221223110007/https://www.thedraftreview.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3050:2003-underclassmen&catid=136&Itemid=384 live USA Chris Alexander – C, Iowa State (junior) USA Carmelo Anthony – F, Syracuse (freshman) USA Mario Austin – F, Mississippi State (junior) USA Ronald Blackshear – G, Marshall (junior) USA Chris Bosh – F, Georgia Tech (freshman) USA Lamar Castile – G, CC of Beaver County (sophomore) USA Rod Edwards – G, Ouachita Baptist (junior) CAN Carl English – G, Hawaii (junior) USA T. J. Ford – G, Texas (sophomore) USA Zack Fray – F, Santa Ana (sophomore) USA Jonathan Hargett – G, West Virginia (freshman) USA David Hamilton – F, Salem International (junior) USA Jarvis Hayes – F/G, Georgia (junior) USA Maurice Jackson – F, Texas–Permian (junior) USA Richard Jeter – G, Atlanta Metro (sophomore) GER Chris Kaman – C, Central Michigan (junior) USA Josh Powell – F, NC State (sophomore) USA Rick Rickert – F, Minnesota (sophomore) USA Luke Ridnour – G, Oregon (junior) USA Rob Smith – F, North Carolina Wesleyan (junior) USA Michael Sweetney – F, Georgetown (junior) USA Dwyane Wade – G, Marquette (junior) USA Mo Williams – G, Alabama (sophomore) USA Doug Wrenn – F/G, Washington (junior) High school players 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. NGR Ndudi Ebi – F, Westbury Christian School (Houston, Texas) USA LeBron James – G, St. Vincent–St. Mary High School (Akron, Ohio) USA James Lang – F, Central Park Christian High School (Birmingham, Alabama) USA Travis Outlaw – F, Starkville High School (Starkville, Mississippi) USA Kendrick Perkins – F, Clifton J. Ozen High School (Beaumont, Texas) International players The following international players successfully applied for early draft entrance. SEN Malick Badiane – F, Langen (Germany) BRA Leandro Barbosa – G, Bauru Tilibra (Brazil) ARG Carlos Delfino – G, Skipper Bologna (Italy) FRA Boris Diaw – F, Pau-Orthez (France) POL Maciej Lampe – F, Universidad Complutense (Spain) SCG Darko Miličić – F, Hemofarm Vršac (Serbia and Montenegro) GEO 1990 Zaza Pachulia – F/C, Ülker (Turkey) SCG Aleksandar Pavlović – G/F, Budućnost (Serbia and Montenegro) FRA Mickaël Piétrus – G, Pau-Orthez (France) CRO Zoran Planinić – G, Cibona (Croatia) GRE Sofoklis Schortsanitis – F, Iraklis (Greece) BIH Nedžad Sinanović – C, Brotnjo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) ISL Jón Arnór Stefánsson – G, Trier (Germany) POL Szymon Szewczyk – F, Braunschweig (Germany) NLD Remon van de Hare – C/F, FC Barcelona (Spain) SCG Slavko Vraneš – C, Budućnost (Serbia and Montenegro) CHN Xue Yuyang – F, Hong Kong Flying Dragons (China) Invited attendees The 2003 NBA draft is considered to be the 25th NBA draft to have utilized what is properly considered the "green room" experience for NBA prospects. The NBA's green room is a staging area where anticipated draftees often sit with their families and representatives, waiting for their names to be called on draft night. Often being positioned either in front of or to the side of the podium (in this case, being positioned somewhere within The Theater at Madison Square Garden2003 Green Room Invites - the Draft Review May 16, 2026 https://www.thedraftreview.com/historical-draft-events/green-room/2003-green-room-invites ), once a player heard his name, he would walk to the podium to shake hands and take promotional photos with the NBA commissioner. From there, the players often conducted interviews with various media outlets while backstage. However, once the NBA draft started to air nationally on TV starting with the 1980 NBA draft, the green room evolved from players waiting to hear their name called and then shaking hands with these select players who were often called to the hotel to take promotional pictures with the NBA commissioner a day or two after the draft concluded to having players in real-time waiting to hear their names called up and then shaking hands with David Stern, the NBA's commissioner at the time.Maurer Matthew 2024-02-18 Draft Broadcasts - The Draft Review https://www.thedraftreview.com/sundry/sundry-articles/draft-broadcasts 2026-05-16 The Draft Review en-us The NBA compiled its list of green room invites through collective voting by the NBA's team presidents and general managers alike, which in this year's case belonged to only what they believed were the top 14 prospects at the time.Green Room - The Draft Review https://www.thedraftreview.com/historical-draft-events/green-room 2026-05-16 The Draft Review en-us Despite the lower amount of invites for this year's draft when compared to the previous year's draft, there would still be a notable amount of discrepancies involved with the invitations at hand, such as the missing invitations to future All-Stars David West, Josh Howard, and arguably second round pick Mo Williams and Kyle Korver as well, alongside the missing invitation for French shooting guard Mickaël Piétrus and the invitation for Maciej Lampe, who was taken at the start of the second round despite draft projections for the time considering Lampe to be a Top 5-10 draft choice at the time.2003 NBA Mock Draft (updated 23 June) https://www.basketballforum.com/threads/2003-nba-mock-draft-updated-23-june.38122/ Professional and College Basketball ForumsESPN.com Mock Draft https://www.espn.com/nbadraft/d03/story?id=1572643 www.espn.comMaurer Matthew Matthew Maurer's 2003 NBA Mock Draft - The Draft Review https://www.thedraftreview.com/mock-draft-archive/matthew-maurer-s-2003-nba-mock-draft The Draft Review en-us 14 September 2020 With all of that in mind, the following players were invited to attend this year's draft festivities live and in person. USA Carmelo Anthony – SF/PF, Syracuse USA Chris Bosh – PF/C, Georgia Tech SCG/SRB Žarko Čabarkapa – SF/PF, Budućnost Podgorica (Serbia and Montenegro) USA Nick Collison – PF/C, Kansas USA T. J. Ford – PG, Texas USA Reece Gaines – SG/SF, Louisville USA/QAT Jarvis Hayes – PG/SG, Georgia USA Kirk Hinrich – PG, Kansas USA LeBron James – SG/SF, St. Vincent–St. Mary High School (Akron, Ohio) USA/GER Chris Kaman – C, Central Michigan POL/SWE Maciej Lampe – PF/C, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain) SCG/SRB Darko Miličić – PF/C, Hemofarm Vršac (Serbia and Montenegro) USA Michael Sweetney – PF, Georgetown USA Dwyane Wade – SG, Marquette See also List of first overall NBA draft picks References http://www.nba.com/draft2003/ NBA.com Draft 2003 April 20, 2007 NBA https://web.archive.org/web/20070419020710/http://www.nba.com/draft2003/ April 19, 2007 http://www.nba.com/players/ Player profiles with their career transaction information April 20, 2007 NBA https://web.archive.org/web/20070419155103/http://www.nba.com/players/#N April 19, 2007 live External links ESPN.com Draft 2003 https://web.archive.org/web/20170701174051/http://www.espn.com/nbadraft/d03/ July 1, 2017 databaseBasketball.com Draft 2003 June 25, 2018 How LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and the 2003 draft class transformed the NBA SC Featured ESPN https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjsmenUd84U https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211104/kjsmenUd84U 2021-11-04 live YouTube Draft Category:NBA draft NBA draft NBA draft Category:2000s in Manhattan Category:Basketball in New York City Category:Sporting events in New York City Category:Sports in Manhattan