The highly anticipated 2017 NBA draft took place in Brooklyn on Thursday night, and Markelle Fultz was the number one pick drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers. For the second year in a row, the Cleveland Cavaliers didn't have a single pick in the NBA draft as they had already used their picks as assets in several trades they've made over the past few years. It was reported earlier that the Cavs were trying to get the forward from California, Ivan Rabb, but he ended up with the Memphis Grizzlies as the 35th pick.
Obviously, the Cavaliers know what it means to draft the right guy that can carry the franchise.
As we recall, the Cavaliers had the number one pick in the 2003 NBA draft, and they drafted LeBron James. What a great move that turned out to be.
James takes shot at former teammates
When the draft was taking place on Thursday night, LeBron James posted a video on Instagram that showed several of his former Cavs teammates talking about him before he was drafted.
The video shows Carlos Boozer, Ricky Davis, Smush Parker and Darius Miles talking about LeBron's potential and him possibly making an impact on the Cavaliers. It appears that all four of them doubted LeBron would live up to his potential, and apparently, LeBron didn't forget that. In this video, Carlos Boozer said that the Cavaliers already had better players than LeBron in his position.
The comments that Darius Miles made in 2003 about LeBron James, really stand out. Miles said: "I don’t think you can really just bring a high school player in and just think your team gonna turn around like that. If he comes, he can just hop on our bandwagon.”
14 years later, LeBron James is a four-time league MVP, three-time NBA champion, and three-time Finals MVP.
In his Instagram post about these comments from his former teammates, LeBron talked about "fighting" against the doubters and haters and how hard it is for a young athlete to endure such pressure.
LeBron lived up to the expectations
James was drafted as the number one pick straight from high school in the 2003 NBA draft. In his rookie year with the Cavaliers, he averaged 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game while leading his team to a 35-47 record.
The year before, in 2002, the Cavs had won only 17 games without LeBron, and obviously, he made an immediate impact as soon as he was drafted.
Throughout his career, James has been one of the most scrutinized athletes of all time but hasn't backed down from the pressure. Considering all the things he has accomplished so far in his career, it's safe to say that he has lived up to the expectations.
