Tag: 2003 NBA Draft

Bronny vs. Kiyan: NBA legends’ sons square off tonight in HS hoops game

Tonight the Lakers teammates can watch their sons play eachother in a high school basketball game.

(Correction: the post has been updated to show that only LeBron still plays for the Lakers.)

LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony came into the NBA as part of the stellar 2003 draft class. Their most-famous classmate Dwayne Wade retired back in 2019, while LeBron is still playing; Melo lasted suited up for an NBA team last season (also with the Lakers). Tomorrow night they’ll be facing the league-best 21-6 Celtics, but tonight the teammates can watch their sons play each other in a high school basketball game.

LeBron’s son Bronny James plays for powerhouse Sierra Canyon (Calif.), which has started the season 6-1. Bronny (6-foot-3, 190 pounds) is a combo guard who is ranked No. 43 in the class of 2023 and is one of the top recruits in the nation who has yet to commit to a college program. James has nine reported offers, but no clear favorite has emerged as of yet.

Meanwhile, Melo’s son Kiyan Anthony is at Christ the King Regional (NY), currently 2-1. Kiyan (6-foot-3, 165 pounds) is a four-star Sophomore who’s ranked No. 14 among shooting guards in his class and No. 3 in the state. Anthony already has offers from five colleges, including one from Penny Hardaway’s Memphis program.

The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 at 11:30 p.m. Eastern time.

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Auction house hoping for $630k for LeBron James rookie jersey

Goldin Auctions is auctioning off the earliest-known LeBron James jersey to hit the market from his rookie season with the Cavaliers.

While it probably won’t be as dramatic as the auction scenes from Uncut Gems given the fact that everyone in the world is practicing social distancing, there is some intriguing goings-on in the auction world when it comes to a rare piece of LeBron James memorabilia.

The folks at Goldin Auctions are setting an auction for the earliest-known authentic LeBron James jersey to hit the market. According to the website, James wore the jersey in November 2003, his first month of pro basketball, including his first-ever game against Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat.

According to TMZ, the auctioneers are hoping to draw a record bid of $630,000 for the jersey. The auction will open, according to Goldin, on April 14. LeBron is no stranger to seeing old things from his younger career go for ridiculous numbers at auction. Just last summer, a basketball card of LeBron’s went for $192,000. 5% of the final fee from the auction will be donated to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

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Today marks nine years since LeBron James and Dwyane Wade’s iconic photo

The most memorable image of the LeBron James era of the Miami Heat turns nine years old on Friday.

Although Friday night is a highlight anticipated night for lovers of the 2003 NBA Draft as LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony are set to face off against each other later tonight in Portland, December 6 was already a big day in the history of that draft class and the NBA’s Banana Boaters.

Friday marked the nine-year anniversary of the iconic photo of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade from LeBron’s first season of four in Miami. The photo was taken from a regular season game in Milwaukee but it is hard to beat as the best sports photograph of the decade by Associated Press photographer Morry Gash.

The Heat reached higher heights throughout the LeBron era, winning two championships over four years and four NBA Finals appearances. Wade and James are still close to this day, even though Wade retired from the NBA at the end of last season. Wade recently moved with his family to Los Angeles where his eldest son Zaire is playing high school basketball at Sierra Canyon with LeBron’s eldest son, Bronny Jr.

ESPN makes epic LeBron-Carmelo montage ahead of Lakers-Blazers

The Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers will come second to another match-up between LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony.

As fate would have it, the first game between LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony in over a year and their 34th NBA meeting overall will be a nationally televised game at 7:30 p.m. pacific time on ESPN.

With the careers of LeBron and Carmelo happening as ESPN became even more dominant in the sports media landscape as the Worldwide Leader, they have a wealth of footage of the two guys together including interviews done with both of them over the years. ESPN put all of that footage to good use for a video they posted on social media Friday morning in advance of Friday’s showdown between two of the three remaining players from the 2003 draft.

Memories will be flooding back for fans and for the participants as well, as the two came in together. But it also has a new meaning now as Anthony has worked his way back from out of the NBA to one of the most inspiring stories in the league, helping spark a Blazers team that was struggling before he arrived to win four of their last five games. Anthony’s contract was also guaranteed for the remainder of the season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

 

LeBron James: Carmelo Anthony’s NBA return is ‘beautiful, hits home’

James has long been an advocate for his friend Carmelo Anthony, but Anthony’s recent comeback managed to inspire the Los Angeles Laker.

LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony are set to face off for the 34th time in their intertwined NBA careers on Friday night when the Los Angeles Lakers come to visit Carmelo Anthony and the Portland Trail Blazers in an ESPN-televised affair.

As recently as a month ago, it looked like we would never get Game 34 between the No. 1 and No. 3 picks in the 2003 NBA draft. But since Anthony’s return, he’s helped spark the Trail Blazers to win four of their last five games and he won last week’s Western Conference Player of the Week award after putting up 22 points and seven rebounds per game in a 3-0 week.

The way that Anthony has performed after people “buried” him hits home for the man who cheekily dubs himself “The Washed King,” according to The Athletic’s Bill Oram and Jason Quick.

“It’s like, when people throwing stones on you and trying to bury you alive and you able to rise above that (expletive)?” James said. “That’s amazing. (expletive) kind of hit home. It’s a beautiful thing. Beautiful thing. Only the strong survive.”

Carmelo versus LeBron isn’t what it was in the earlier part of the decade but it’s still pretty incredible after all these years that they’re still going at it. As two of the three remaining members (Kyle Korver is the other) of the 2003 NBA Draft Class, it’s going to be a poignant moment for fans of basketball history no matter how the game goes. And if we get a regular season thriller between the two buddies for old time’s sake, all the better.

How the 20 players drafted after LeBron in 2003 fared in the NBA

The 20 players drafted after LeBron James in 2003 provided some stars and some total busts.

The Cleveland Cavaliers drafted LeBron James with the first pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. King James has dominated the NBA in his career, winning four MVP awards and three championships in his first 17 seasons, while he’s currently off to his best start ever as his Los Angeles Lakers are 19-3 after 22 games. But how did the players selected after he was chosen fare in their NBA careers?

2. Darko Milicic

NBAE Photo by D.Lippitt/Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images

Darko Milicic was chosen by the Detroit Pistons with a pick they acquired via the Vancouver Grizzlies in a trade for Otis Thorpe. Of the top five draft picks from 2003, he was the lone one to fail to become a mega-star in his NBA career. The 7-footer played for six teams and averaged six points and four per game rebounds in 468 games. Milicic now lives the farmer’s life in his native Serbia.

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