Tracy McGrady believes LeBron James wasn't the deserving winner.
Tracy McGrady Claims Big LeBron James Accomplishment Belonged to Rival originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
LeBron James was one of the most hyped prospects to enter the NBA in league history in 2003, and it didn't take him long to show he was indeed the real deal. The Cleveland Cavaliers selected James with the first pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, and he was impactful from the get-go.
James averaged 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.7 blocks per game in 2003-04 to win Rookie of the Year, his first major NBA award. He beat out Carmelo Anthony to take home the trophy, getting 78 first-place votes compared to 40 for his good friend.
While the Rookie of the Year race didn't end up being particularly close, there was a notion that Anthony, whom the Denver Nuggets had selected with the third pick, deserved to win the award. He had averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.5 blocks per game in 2003-04.
Unlike James, Anthony had also led his team to the playoffs, with the Nuggets finishing eighth in the Western Conference with a 43-39 record. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, were ninth in the East at 35-47.
So, there was certainly an argument for Anthony to win the award, and former NBA star Tracy McGrady stated on the "7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony" podcast that he should have.
“You should have won that [expletive] Rookie of the Year because you took your team to the playoffs,” McGrady said. “… That is a tremendous accomplishment for a rookie to come in [and] have that spotlight on him like that. And to get slighted on Rookie of the Year, I didn’t like that at all.”
That was a tremendous accomplishment indeed. The Nuggets had won just 17 games in 2002-03, and Anthony had led quite a turnaround. He probably would have been a lock for Rookie of the Year in most seasons, but just not that one. James' exploits coming right out of high school were deemed more impressive, and Anthony had to settle for being the runner-up.
Related: Tracy McGrady Makes Honest Kobe Bryant Admission Amid NBA Ring Controversy
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
