Darko Milicic is best known for one thing – being the guy drafted immediately after LeBron James. Not only that, he was also drafted right before three other Hall of Famers in Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. But once upon a time, Darko Milicic was every bit the prospect as his superstar peers were – and if you asked him, he was even better.

Darko Milicic was infamously drafted by the Detroit Pistons second overall, just behind LeBron James. But NBA draft expert Chad Ford revealed on a July 2021 episode of The Ryen Russillo podcast that Darko felt that he was second to none in the lead up to the 2003 NBA draft, not even to King James.

“Darko was a confident dude. … He would argue to your face, ‘I'm better than LeBron James.'

I remember I was with Darko at the start of the season and we're driving over to the Palace in Auburn Hills. They're advertising for a preseason game as the Cavs were coming and it's ‘LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavs are coming'. And Darko looks at the billboard and goes – ‘Why is my name not up there?'”

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Say what you want about Darko Milicic, but the man never lacked in confidence. While he wasn't even a fraction of the player LeBron James turned out to be, he still carved out a lengthy NBA career, playing for six different teams in his decade-long journey in the association.