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LeBron James, drafted by Cleveland, was the first pick overall in the NBA Draft.

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With the marriage between LeBron James and the city of Cleveland still in its honeymoon stages, the Cavaliers found themselves an unlikely bridesmaid.

Cleveland nabbed UCLA’s Jason Kapono with the second pick of the NBA Draft’s second round on Thursday, 30 spots after selecting the 18-year-old superstar-to-be James No. 1 overall.

“Cleveland is an up and coming team,” Kapono said. “There’s a lot of young talent, surrounded by solid, veteran front-court players. I am overjoyed, excited and thrilled to be a Cavalier.”

And with the opportunity to share the court with James, why shouldn’t he be?

The 6-foot, 7-inch Kapono built his reputation at UCLA as a deadly perimeter marksman with seemingly unlimited range. Consequently the Cavs – the fourth worst three-point shooting team in the league last year – believe he’ll be a perfect compliment to a dazzling passer like James, who will no doubt draw most of the opposing team’s attention on defense.

“We felt one of the things we wanted to address this off-season was getting a shooter along with LeBron,” Cavaliers General Manager Jim Paxson told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “Jason’s a four-year player, had a really good career at UCLA, and was very steady. We just feel he’s a good fit for us at that pick, and we’re happy to have him.”

The ebb and flow of Kapono’s draft stock has been well documented since he tested the waters after his freshman year in 2000. Many believed that in choosing to return to Westwood, Kapono had erred as questions about his defense and quickness caused many experts to wonder whether he had the talent to flourish at the NBA level.

But although Kapono will never leave the fans at Cleveland’s Gund Arena awed by his athleticism, he did prove many critics wrong at the pre-draft camp in Chicago, and during a series of individual workouts for teams leading up to the draft.

He displayed better quickness and ability around the basket than most NBA executives had anticipated, leading many teams to target him as a potential steal in the second round.

Still Kapono remained cautious, choosing to spend draft day in San Diego rather than hosting a party and then going undrafted. So when he did hear his name, it was both rewarding and a relief.

“The process was very rigorous and exhausting, but to hear my name called was a dream realized,” Kapono said. “With LeBron James and (new head coach) Paul Silas, only good things are bound to happen for the future of this club.”