Hearing your name called at the NBA Draft is an absolute dream for so many young basketball players growing up and that moment, and walking on the stage afterwards is a memory that will never be forgotten. For Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, that moment came back in 2003 when he was selected first overall by his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers.
But what most don’t see is everything that happens behind the scenes. There is so much hustle and so many things to be taken care of regarding family and friends in attendance. And it is this that James remembers the most about his draft day experience, and not in a positive light.
“You just said it right there, I’m getting a headache thinking about it,” James said on the latest episode of his Mind the Game podcast with Steve Nash. “I think the whole city of Akron made their way to New York City either by plane, trains, automobiles, everybody. How long is the drive to New York from Akron? 8 hours? I know my uncle, my mom’s younger brother drove, cuz he don’t like flying. So I remember him and a few of my other family members drove. I know some of my best friends either flew or drove. It was a lot.”
James would continue on, admitting that even though it is a happy memory overall, he did not have a good time on that day.
“We was at Madison Square Garden. It was a lot. I didn’t have a great time. I was happy as hell. It was a beautiful moment. We celebrated a little bit after the draft. But it was a lot.”
For someone like James, who knew he would be selected with the top pick, he at least didn’t have to worry about waiting in the green room for a long time or any uncertainty about his landing spot. But the hassle of so many family and friends wanting so much from him on that day was just overbearing.
Even still the moment a player gets selected is still one of the highlights of everyone’s career, James included. And that will be the case for everyone taken in the 2026 NBA Draft as well.
Lakers eyeing ‘high-motor’ player with 25th pick in 2026 NBA Draft
What the Lakers will do with their lone selection in this year’s draft is unclear and the team has been linked to a number of different prospects. But regardless of who they select, there is one characteristic the Lakers are reportedly valuing with the pick.
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