LeBron James hints at possibility that 2003 draft lottery was rigged for Cavs: ‘I understand the assignment’

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James insinuated that the 2003 draft lottery might have been rigged for the Cleveland Cavaliers to get the No. 1 overall pick so they could draft him and keep him home.

“Listen, man, during the ball drop, during the lottery drop, Cleveland got the No. 1 pick,” James said. “I just don’t think that was – what a coincidence.”

James continued.

“Let’s keep LeBron home,” James said. “You know what, Patrick Ewing to the [New York] Knicks, Derrick Rose to the [Chicago] Bulls. I understand the assignment, guys.”

It’s worth noting that Cleveland was tied for the best odds to win the lottery going into it.

The Cavs did take James with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, and he went on to lead them to the NBA Finals (although they lost to the San Antonio Spurs) within his first few seasons in the NBA.

However, James didn’t stay in Cleveland forever. After seven seasons, the future Hall of Famer ended up leaving the Cavs for the Miami Heat, spending four seasons in South Beach and winning two titles while playing alongside stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

He later added a storybook chapter to his Cleveland legacy. James returned to the Cavs in free agency ahead of the 2014-15 season. He proceeded to lead Cleveland to four straight NBA Finals, including a title in the 2015-16 season.

In that season, the Cavs erased a 3-1 series deficit against the Golden State Warriors to capture the title. James was named the NBA Finals MVP, and Cleveland received its first NBA championship in franchise history.

Now, James is with the Lakers – the team that he won the 2020 NBA Finals with – and is looking to add another championship to his resume.

This season, James was named an All-Star and is averaging 24.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game. Even at 40 years old, he’s one of the NBA’s best players.

Ahead of Wednesday night’s game against the Indiana Pacers, James and the Lakers hold the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference and are in prime position to land a playoff spot. The Lakers have made the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, but they had to go through the play-in tournament to get there both times.