On this day in 2003: LeBron, Carmelo, Wade and Bosh make their NBA debuts on the same night

Twenty-three years ago this month, the 2003 draft class finally took the floor. On Wednesday, October 29, 2003, LeBron James scored 25 points with nine assists in his first NBA game for Cleveland. The same night, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all played their first minutes. Three of the four would win championships. All four became All-Stars. Darko Miličić, taken second between James and Anthony, was the pick that night never lived down. The careers that started on those four floors reshaped the league for the next two decades.

None of the four looked finished. James looked ready. Anthony won a home opener against Tim Duncan. Wade struggled in Boston. Bosh came off the Toronto bench and still found the scoreboard.

• LeBron James (Cleveland, No. 1 pick), Wednesday, October 29, 2003: Kings 106, Cavaliers 92 at Sacramento. 25 points (12-20 FG, 0-2 3P, 1-3 FT), 6 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals in 42:50 as a starter. Attendance: 17,317.
• Carmelo Anthony (Denver, No. 3 pick), same night: Nuggets 80, Spurs 72 at Denver. 12 points (4-15 FG, 0-1 3P, 4-8 FT), 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal in 29:04 as a starter against Tim Duncan. Attendance: 17,429.
• Dwyane Wade (Miami, No. 5 pick), same night: Celtics 98, Heat 75 at Boston. 5 points (2-12 FG, 1-2 3P, 0-0 FT), 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal in 33:32 as a starter. Attendance: 18,624.
• Chris Bosh (Toronto, No. 4 pick), same night: Raptors 90, Nets 87 at Toronto. 11 points (5-8 FG, 1-1 FT), 4 rebounds, 2 blocks in 24:19 off the bench. Attendance: 18,217.

James: 25 and 9 on opening night in Sacramento

James arrived from St. Vincent–St. Mary High School in Akron as the most hyped prospect of his generation. Cleveland gave him the ball immediately on the road against a Sacramento team that still had Peja Stojaković, Vlade Divac, Mike Bibby and Brad Miller.

He played nearly 43 minutes and filled the box score: 12 of 20 from the field, six rebounds, nine assists and four steals. J.R. Bremer led Cleveland with 20 points off the bench. Carlos Boozer had 14 and 11. It was not enough. Stojaković scored 22, Bibby 19, Divac 18 and Miller 16 as Sacramento won 106-92.

James played all 79 of his games as a starter that season and averaged 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.6 steals in 39.6 minutes. He won Rookie of the Year and made the All-Rookie team. The Cavaliers finished 35-47.

Anthony: a win over Duncan’s Spurs

Anthony, the No. 3 pick out of Syracuse after a national title as a freshman, debuted at home against the defending champion Spurs. Duncan had 17 points, 21 rebounds and eight blocks. Manu Ginóbili added 14 points and six assists. Tony Parker did not play.

Anthony started and scored 12 on 4-of-15 shooting with seven rebounds in 29 minutes. Andre Miller led Denver with 16. Marcus Camby grabbed 20 rebounds. Nenê had 12 and 11. The Nuggets held on for an 80-72 win in front of 17,429.

Anthony played all 82 games as a rookie and averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 36.5 minutes. He made the All-Rookie team. Denver jumped to 43-39 and reached the playoffs.

Wade’s rough night in Boston — Bosh off the Raptors bench

Wade, the No. 5 pick out of Marquette, started in Boston and had the hardest box score of the group. He made 2 of 12 shots for five points, with four assists, in a 98-75 loss. Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 23. Eddie Jones scored 22 for Miami. Udonis Haslem, in his own first season, had nine points and seven rebounds alongside Wade.

Wade played only 61 games as a rookie, averaging 16.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 35.0 minutes, and still made All-Rookie. Miami finished 42-40 and reached the playoffs.

Bosh, the No. 4 pick out of Georgia Tech, was the only one of the four who did not start. He checked in for 24:19 in Toronto and made 5 of 8 shots for 11 points, with four rebounds and two blocks, in a 90-87 win over New Jersey. Vince Carter exploded for 39. Jason Kidd had 11 points and 10 assists for the Nets; Kenyon Martin scored 26 with 11 rebounds.

Bosh played 75 games, started 63, and averaged 11.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 33.6 minutes. He made All-Rookie. Toronto finished 33-49.

What the class became

James has played more than 20 seasons, won four championships and four MVP awards, and scored more than 43,000 points. Anthony finished with 28,289 points, made 10 All-Star teams and entered the Hall of Fame in 2025. Wade won three titles with Miami, including Finals MVP in 2006, scored 23,165 points and was inducted in 2023. Bosh won two titles alongside James and Wade in Miami, scored 17,189 points and reached the Hall of Fame in 2021.

On one Wednesday night in October 2003, they were four rookies on four different floors. James announced himself with 25 and nine. The other three spent the next decade proving the night was only the start.