Most Shocking NBA Lottery shakeups of all-time

Basketball: NBA Draft Lottery: NBA Commissioner David Stern holding up the envelope with the number one pick in the draft at Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Number one pick goes to the New York Knicks.New York, NY 5/12/1985CREDIT: George Tiedemann (Photo by George Tiedemann /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images)(Set Number: X31488 TK1 R1 F8 ) /

10 of 26

SACRAMENTO, CA – OCTOBER 29: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks on during the game against the Sacramento Kings at Arco Arena on October 29, 2003 in Sacramento, California. The Kings won 106-92. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Copyright 2003 NBAE (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) /

17. Cavaliers Call Their Shot With LeBron (2003)

It was without a doubt fortuitous that the Cleveland Cavaliers would win the NBA Lottery coming into the 2003 NBA Draft, a draft that was considered loaded then and has only become one of the best draft classes in the history of the league in the years since. However fortunate it was, though, that wasn’t the craziest part of the Cavs having the No. 1 pick—though that moment did come not long after they won the top pick.

Not even 24 hours (or 12 hours for that matter) after the results of the lottery were announced and the Cavaliers were readying themselves for the first selection in the 2003 draft, they went ahead and killed all of the suspense by publicly announcing that they were going to take LeBron James.

Obviously LeBron going No. 1 overall wasn’t much of a shock. He was a prodigy out of high school and one of the surest prospects that the league had ever seen at the time. Even in a great draft class, taking anyone other than LeBron would’ve been ludicrous.

Even still, that the Cavs would be so bold as to call their shot in the draft a month before the actual draft is not something common and really caught everyone off guard.

Next: No. 16 Clips Take Darius Miles

Home/Brooklyn Nets