NBA Legend Says Cavaliers LeBron James Shouldn't Have Won Rookie of the Year

The Cleveland Cavaliers have had two players win the NBA's Rookie of the Year award. Kyrie Irving won it in his first year out of Duke after his stellar performance in 2011-12. Before that, it was LeBron James, who took it home for the first time in franchise history after his 2003-04 freshman campaign.

James was transcendent as a rookie, taking all of the impossibly lofty expectations laid upon him coming out of high school and shattering them anyway. He averaged a ridiculous 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.6 steals, shooting 42 percent from the field while still adjusting to the speed and physicality of his new pro-level competition.

Despite coming in an absolutely loaded draft class, James won the Rookie of the Year comfortably, garnering 78 of the 118 first-place votes. He'd go on to vindicate his proponents by not only becoming the best player from the 2003 draft, but arguably the greatest hooper to grace the NBA.

Tracy McGrady says Carmelo Anthony should have won Rookie of the Year over LeBron James

And yet, there are still people who aim to tear him down, including those who seek to do so retroactively. Appearing on Carmelo Anthony's podcast, 7PM in Brooklyn, NBA legend Tracy McGrady stated that he believed that LeBron wasn't the best rookie in 2003-04:

"No shade to anybody, but I thought [Carmelo Anthony] should have won Rookie of the Year, cause you took your team to the playoffs... That is a tremendous accomplishment for a rookie to come in, have that spotlight on him like that, and to get slighted on Rookie of the Year — I ain't like that at all."