The Cleveland Cavaliers hold a special place in LeBron James’ heart and vice versa. James spent his first eight NBA seasons with the Cavaliers, winning two MVP titles. After a brief stint with the Miami Heat, James returned to the Cavaliers and won the NBA championship in 2016, ending a 52–year sports championship drought in Cleveland.
The Browns’ 1962 NFL title was the last time a major sports team from Cleveland won a championship.
Interestingly, the future would’ve been much different. The Cavaliers might never have drafted James, the first pick in the 2003 NBA Draft.
Memphis Grizzlies Almost Drafted LeBron James
NBA Hall of Famer Jerry West was general manager of the Memphis Grizzlies from 2002-07. The 14x NBA All-Star had an enviable resumé from his playing career and post-playing career stint as an executive.
West had huge success as general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers, but he sought to achieve greatness with a less-successful franchise. As such, he joined the Grizzlies in 2002.
West’s first season with Memphis wasn’t great; they ended the regular season with a 28-54 record. However, the 2003 NBA Draft almost gave them something to hope for as a franchise. The Grizzlies had a 6.4 percent chance of getting the top draft pick, who everybody knew would be then-high-school phenom James.
Unfortunately, the Grizzlies had to win the first overall pick to keep the player. In 1997, when the Grizzlies were still based in Vancouver, they acquired Otis Thorpe from the Detroit Pistons, giving up a conditional first-round pick.
Returning to the 2003 draft, the Grizzlies were projected to get the sixth pick, eventually going to the Detroit Pistons. However, their hopes rose when NBA deputy commissioner Russ Granik revealed that the Los Angeles Clippers got the sixth pick. The Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, and Denver Nuggets got picks five to three, leaving the Cavaliers and Grizzlies for the top spot.
Granik announced that the Grizzlies would get the second pick, which went to the Pistons, and West’s frustration was visible. Though the future couldn’t be predicted, West felt the 1997 trade was a mistake.
“For a trade that, when you look back in history, was made for whatever reason, it was hard to imagine that a trade like that would’ve been made and not protect a team that hadn’t proven its worth yet,” West said in an interview with ESPN in 2013. “I’m not going to bad mouth anybody but that was an ill-advised decision.”
Interestingly, the Pistons didn’t gain much with the second pick as they drafted Darko Miličić, a 7-foot center from Serbia. To add insult to injury, the Nuggets, Raptors, and Heat picked Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade with their third, fourth, and fifth picks, respectively.
West passed away in July 2024. In 2023, West recounted his feelings about missing James during an interview with ESPN.
“When they announced the result, it was like one of these hot air balloons, a needle in that, and that’s what the collapse felt like,” West said. “Probably the biggest disappointment, other than as a player when we lost a lot of championships, but this was a devastating time for the Memphis Grizzlies.”
Funny enough, West bought a goat/sheep before the draft as a good luck charm. Ultimately, the goat, named “Maynard,” didn’t amount to much. West admitted it felt ironic that people thought a goat could help them win the draft lottery.
