John Salley apologized to LeBron James for believing Carmelo Anthony should've been No.1 pick in 2003: "LeBron proved to be The King"

In an interview with Bally Sports' Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson, former NBA player John Salley looked back on his previous stance on LeBron James with a change of heart.

"I literally apologized to LeBron," Salley said, "because I thought that Carmelo Anthony should have been the #1 pick and I love Carmelo but LeBron proved to be 'The King' and I was like, 'Maybe I shouldn't have said that. Maybe I should've waited and saw him [LeBron].'"

The anticipation around LeBron James at the time, was massive for an NBA prospect straight out of high school. His lack of college experience caused quite a stir in the league for him to be the number-one pick in the 2003 NBA Draft.

In James' draft pool, he was alongside other NBA stars such as Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Bosh.

As of now, James has established an incredible legacy for himself with all of his accolades combined for over 20 seasons in the league, and he is currently entering his 21st season.

In his career, LeBron James has averaged 27.2 points per game (50.5% shooting, 34.5% from 3-point range), 7.5 rebounds, and 7.3 assists.

The 19-time All-Star has won four NBA championships, four NBA Finals MVP awards, and four regular season MVP awards. He has also made the First Team All-NBA 13 times and the All-Defensive First Team five times.

Recently, the Lakers star surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the NBA's All-Time Scoring Record.

John Salley on how defenses adjust to LeBron James

In an interview on the Vlad TV podcast, former Detroit Pistons player John Salley gave his perspective on how opponents game plan against James.

"You know LeBron can get a triple-double and you know LeBron is going to put pressure on everybody going to the rim," Salley said, "and LeBron's going to make your man look better because you have to help out and he's going to give it up so I think you have to have a different game plan when you're playing against LeBron."

"And for the past 20 years, everybody has been adjusting their game plan to this guy's game," Salley added.

The comments Salley made were in response to James' former Miami Heat teammate, Mario Chalmers. Chalmers went on the "In the Shambles" podcast last March and mentioned how LeBron James was never feared by opponents in the same way as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

Based on Salley's comments and how LeBron James has maintained incredible consistency with his production on the court, despite his age, it proves just how much of a challenge he has for rival teams.