MIAMIThings are a bit foggy for Dwyane Wade when it comes to remembering what it was like leading up to the 2003 NBA lottery when he was coming out of Marquette.
"That was so long ago," Wade said.
The only thing that Wade remembers for sure about then, was that LeBron James would be the first player drafted.
"Whatever team had the No. 1 overall pick," Wade said, "whether it was Cleveland, I knew they were going to take him."
There's a similar sentiment heading into tonight's draft lottery which will determine the No. 1 overall pick in next month's NBA draft.
Just about every projection for the 2012 draft has Kentucky freshman Anthony Davis as the top overall selection.
Davis' lofty draft status was in part due to the success he enjoyed on a loaded Kentucky Wildcats squad that went on to win a national championship.
Boston Celtics
Wade had an impressive tournament run during his final season at Marquette, leading the Golden Eagles to their first Final Four berth since 1977. That run included a triple-double of 29 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in Marquette's 83-69 win over top-seeded and top-ranked Kentucky in the Midwest Regional Final.
Even with all that Wade had accomplished that year, or how then-freshman Carmelo Anthony led Syracuse to the school's first national championship, Wade had no doubt that high school phenom LeBron James would be the top overall pick in that year's draft.
"His high school games were on national television," Wade said of James. "That's enough said. Seeing him performhis size, ability, his passing ability, he was NBA ready."