As far as NBA Drafts go, the 2003 NBA Draft is etched in the memory of fans. Not only did it give us LeBron James but also other notable players. The likes of Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade are all part of this class.

Dwyane Wade wasn’t a projected top 5 pick

The 6 ft 4-inch shooting guard Dwyane Wade is one of the best players of the modern era and has won many plaudits in the game. His friend and fellow draftee Chris Bosh remembers that unforgettable day of June 26, 2003, vividly. He said:

“Dwyane and I had the same agent, the late great Henry Thomas. And we were all there, we were in NYC… Then they put you at a table and everybody’s like trying to be cool but you’re nervous. It got real once David Stern comes out… Then they said Cleveland Cavaliers have 3 minutes to pick; like they had to think about it. So then Bron goes, then Darko and I started getting nervous. And then Melo goes. And then they finally call my name.”

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The Toronto Raptors selected Bosh at 4, and this wasn’t really a shock to people. What was shocking at the time was the Heat picking the Marquette graduate, Wade. He wasn’t a consensus top-5 pick. Chris Kaman and Kirk Hinrich were seemingly ahead of him in the pecking order. Bosh said:

“Everybody thought that someone else was going to get picked by Miami… David Stern comes out and said, Dwyane Wade… I stood up and was like yeah! And I sat back down. We knew how talented and good he was but it was a surprise when Miami picked him.”

Bosh further added, “People gasped and kind of boeed a little bit too. Not crazy but it was shocking to pick him at 5. Think about that.”

D-Wade more than justified his selection

Wade went ahead and proved his doubters wrong. The future Hall-of-Famer lead Miami Heat to their maiden NBA title in 2006, along with Shaq. The Finals MVP then formed the revolutionary ‘Big 3’ with Bosh and LeBron.

Though some people might argue against the credentials of Wade’s championships, one must remember no great player won the NBA title all alone. Even the great Michael Jordan had Pippen.