Back in the 2003-04 season, LeBron James won the Rookie of the Year award over Carmelo Anthony. It was a competitive race, which has led to decades-long debates, and McGrady has given his opinion.
In the 2003-04 season, most people were excited about LeBron James. He was a generational talent playing for his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. At the same time, the third overall pick, Carmelo Anthony, was the star who won the National Championship with Syracuse.
Both players faced immense pressure due to the hype surrounding them ahead of the Draft. They lived up to the hype, cementing themselves as future superstars. This also meant that they were competing for the Rookie of the Year award.
Despite the Denver Nuggets having a better record with Anthony as a centerpiece, they did not win the award. James won Rookie of the Year, which has continued to spark debates around the NBA community. It is a fun conversation, considering the two players are friendly rivals.
Photo By Andy Cross/The Denver Post via Getty ImagesMcGrady feels Anthony was good enough to win the Rookie of the Year award
It was one of the most competitive races for Rookie of the Year. Anthony posted stats of 21 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. As a rookie, he took over and changed the Nuggets’ fortunes after a 15-67 season.
On the other hand, James averaged 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game. James proved he was worth the hype as a superstar and student of the game through his performances.
The numbers were close, which meant their teams’ records could have been the deciding factor. Cleveland had a 35-47 record and missed the Playoffs, while the Nuggets made the postseason with a 43-39 record.
Former multi-time All-Star Tracy McGrady felt Anthony deserved the award over James.
“You knew Melo and Bron were gon’ be tough, and honestly, no shade to anybody, but I thought he should’ve won Rookie of the Year. Because you took your team to the Playoffs,” McGrady said on Anthony’s 7PM in Brooklyn show.
“That is a tremendous accomplishment for a rookie (leading the team to the Playoffs.) Having that spotlight on him, and to get slighted on Rookie of the Year, I didn’t like that at all.”
The 2003 Draft was one of the most talent-laden classes in NBA history despite its detractors. James and Anthony were the headliners, and players like Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh further boosted it. That was a fantastic group of players, and it was apparent that Anthony deserved the hype.
Dwyane Wade thinks it should have been at least Co-Rookie of the Year like they did for Grant Hill and Jason Kidd, or Elton Brand and Steve Francis.
But the fact that Carmelo won every Rookie of the month award shows bias towards LeBron being the new face, the chosen one to… https://t.co/g0DSwxJnfK pic.twitter.com/GmumTzLWXJ
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McGrady agrees with that sentiment, as he felt the former Syracuse star was a natural NBA player. It was rare to see a rookie adjust so well, leading the Nuggets to the Playoffs after their previous disastrous season.
“Typically, young guys come in, and they try to ease their way. This guy was like a bruiser. You had to withstand that for 40 minutes of hell. I admired that young core coming in and being who they were at that time,” McGrady continued on the podcast.
“You talk about Kobe, AI, myself, and Vince, now we got some young energy coming in. That’s confident, aggressive, and got game.”
James won the award and turned out to be the better player, but McGrady wants to spotlight Anthony’s rookie year. He deserves the flowers, as many have forgotten how good Anthony was in Denver.