The 2003 NBA Draft saw LeBron James enter the league alongside Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade – but the other top-five pick did not hit the same heights as that quartet
One-time NBA champion Darko Milicic went from playing for the Boston Celtics to working on a farm within five years.
Milicic, 38, was the No. 2 overall pick by the Detroit Pistons in the stacked 2003 NBA Draft. Only LeBron James was selected higher than the seven-footer from Serbia.
Immediately after the teenager went off the board, the three players picked were Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade. While four of the top five are either already inducted or future Hall of Famers, Milicic is the massive expectation.
When Bosh and James joined Wade on the Miami Heat in the summer of 2010, the Serbian center was signing what would turn out to be his penultimate NBA contract. After seven seasons, Milicic had twice been traded and had already played for five teams.