NBA Draft: Every team’s best pick ever

Jun 10, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) speaks to the media during a press conference after game four of the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. The Warriors won 108-97. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

19 of 31

DENVER, CO – FEBRUARY 10: Carmelo Anthony /

Denver Nuggets: Carmelo Anthony, No. 2, 2003 NBA Draft

Carmelo Anthony’s megawatt smile and superior ability to score the basketball came to the Denver Nuggets in the 2003 NBA Draft, when he was selected third overall after LeBron James and Darko Milicic. Anthony averaged 22 points per game at Syracuse, winning a somewhat improbably National Championship in his freshman season, and kept up that scoring after joining the Nuggets. While he was unable to win a championship with the Nuggets, they made the postseason every year Anthony was on the team, a remarkable achievement for a franchise that has never won a NBA championship.

Anthony didn’t leave the Nuggets on the best of terms, requesting a trade to New York that gutted the Knicks’ roster and has largely left him in NBA purgatory. His ability to score inside and out has made him one of the best offensive players in the league throughout his career, particularly when he was still suiting up for the Nuggets. He will always be help up against the rest of that 2003 NBA Draft class and while he doesn’t have the championship accolades of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, or Chris Bosh, he is likely a future Hall of Famer. Regardless of the ending, his time in Denver was one of the best the franchise has ever seen.

Next: Minnesota Timberwolves

Home/NBA