The 2003 NBA draft had a lot to offer. With superstars like LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Bosh headlining the draft, every team hoped for a chance to get the top picks. However, despite the presence of King James, former Miami Heat coach Pat Riley did not believe he was the best player coming into the league that season.

Then was it Carmelo Anthony, who had just won a national championship with Syracuse? No. It was none other than Dwyane Wade. Pat Riley was the special guest on the recent episode of ‘The Why with Dwyane Wade‘ podcast. That’s when he revealed what he thought of Wade ahead of the draft.

“You were the best player—you were the best player for us at that time, and I thought you were the best player in the draft at that time,” said Pat Riley.

Dwyane Wade was selected 5th overall by the Miami Heat. But Riley believed that coming out of the draft, Wade was the best player. Riley also added, “I saw right off the page he is a young kid, he is a mature kid, and then when we dived into the whole history of Dwyane Wade, you learned something about why you got to where you were and how hungry you were.“

Wade was more mature than everyone else in the draft because he had more experience. He had played from 2000–03 at Marquette University, which helped him develop as a player both mentally and physically.

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Dwyane Wade had a tougher road than the others

While LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony were two of the best players in their class, Dwyane Wade was not his best version from the get-go. Both Anthony and James received many offers from universities to come to play for them. However, Wade, on the other hand, only received offers from three schools.

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Even in high school, he was not heavily recruited. But Wade found his way through the tough times, made his way to the NBA, and went on to become a Hall of Famer.

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