June 10, 2004 - Knee deep in the NBA's sudden international talent explosion of the late '90s and early '2000s, the Detroit Pistons thought they'd struck gold when they landed the No. 2 overall pick of the 2003 NBA Draft. On the heels of fostering stardom for the likes of Dirk Nowitzki, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, the NBA thrusted a 17-year-old from Serbia to the forefront, staking his claim as a sure thing.

The footage above comes from Game 3 of the 2004 NBA Finals, when a then 18-year-old Darko Milicic made a rare late game appearance for the soon-to-be champion Pistons. Milicic averaged 1.4 points and 1.3 rebounds as a rookie, falling well short of fellow rookie contemporaries such as LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade.

Milicic spent the better part of three seasons with the Pistons before being sent to the Orlando Magic in 2006. Milicic averaged 6 points and 4.3 rebounds over the course of a 10-year NBA career.

Al Michaels called the 2004 Finals alongside Doc Rivers on color commentary and Stuart Scott on the sidelines.

Box Score: https://www.basketball-reference.com/...