The Cleveland Cavaliers set themselves up for greatness when they selected a 19-year-old LeBron James as the first overall pick in 2003. He has since become one of the greatest to ever play the game, and is without a doubt the best draft pick in Cavs history. So who else made it to our list here today? Read on below to see.
4. Brad Daugherty
Cleveland has quite a history of getting the first overall pick, which also speaks of how poorly this team has performed for certain periods.
In 1986, in only the second time in franchise history that the Cavs had the opportunity to select first in the draft, they opted to sign 7-foot big man Brad Daugherty as the first overall pick out of the University of North Carolina. This was the same alma matter of the great Michael Jordan, who Daugherty actually played with for two seasons with the Tar Heels.
By his second season with the Cavaliers, Daugherty was already named in the All-Star squad — his first out of five selections. Playing alongside Mark Price, among others, Daugherty helped the team to six playoff appearances in eight seasons, which included a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals in 1992.
Daugherty retired in 1994 at the age of just 28 due to recurring back problems.
3. Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Lithuanian 7-foot-3 giant Zydrunas Ilgauskas definitely makes out list. He was selected 20th overall by the Cavaliers in 1996, which also makes him one of, if not the biggest draft steals in franchise history. Then again, you have to note that the '96 Draft was packed with guys like Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson, to name a couple. Nonetheless, Ilgauskas' career is a further nod to the epicness of that particular class.
During his time with the Cavaliers, Ilgauskas was named to the All-Star squad twice. He was pivotal during LeBron James' first stint with Cleveland, with Ilgauskas serving as the team's starting center during that memorable Finals trip in 2007.
By the time Ilgauskas called it a career in 2011, he was the franchise's all-time leader in games, rebounds, and blocks.
2. Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving would have been the easy choice for the top spot on our list if only the Cavs never drafted LeBron.
The 6-foot-2 point guard arrived in Cleveland in 2011, which was during the time when James was wreaking havoc on the league with the Miami Heat. At the age of 20, in just his sophomore year, Irving earned a spot to the All-Star team. A couple of years later and LeBron would make his triumphant return to Cleveland, and these two formed arguably the greatest pairing this franchise has ever seen. Along with superstar big man Kevin Love, the Cavs Big 3 went on to win the title in 2016 in historic fashion, as they came from 3-1 down to defeat the defending champs, the Golden State Warriors, in seven games.
Unfortunately, Irving and James had their differences, which ended up with the former leaving the team in 2017 to join the Boston Celtics. His departure marked the end to the Big 3 era in Cleveland.
1. LeBron James
LeBron is widely considered as one of the greatest players ever, so he certainly has to be at the top of any list he is qualified for. With regards to the Cavaliers' greatest draft pick in history, there is no question that LeBron is No. 1. As we all know, he also went first overall in the historic 2003 NBA Draft.
Coming out of Saint Vincent-Saint Mary high school as a 19-year-old, James took the league by storm. He carried the Cavs to their first trip to the Finals in history in 2007 as a 22-year-old. LeBron and company were swept by the San Antonio Spurs in that series, but that only added to the hunger of James. He went on to win back-to-back league MVP titles in 2008 and 2009 with the Cavs.
As fate would have it, LeBron jumped ship in 2010 when he decided to take his talents to South Beach. He was the most hated individual in Cleveland at that time, with fans going as far as burning his jersey for his alleged betrayal. James, however, made his triumphant return to his home town after achieving his goal of winning a title (he ended up with two) in Miami.
LeBron ultimately redeemed himself to the entire city of Cleveland by bringing them their first title in franchise history in 2016. Two years later, he left again, this time heading to the bright lights of Hollywood with the Los Angeles Lakers. There is no denying, though, that his departure this time around was much more amicable, and he has since been and perhaps forever will be considered as the greatest player to ever put on a Cavaliers uniform.
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