One of the more popular conspiracy theories in sports revolves around the late David Stern, the NBA's former commissioner who passed away earlier this week at the age of 77 due to complications from a brain hemorrhage. “The frozen envelope,” as it came to be known, allegedly sealed the first pick in the 1985 Draft Lottery for the New York Knicks, who went on to select Patrick Ewing.
Conspiracy theorists believe that Stern and the NBA somehow rigged the 1985 lottery in an attempt to grant the Knicks the No. 1 overall pick. Fans argued that the league was favoring New York, a team in the country's biggest media market and a team that was in need of a center at that time. This allegation bothered the former commissioner, as he understandably viewed it as an attack on his integrity.
“You do realize you’re asking me if I committed a felony,” David Stern said when asked about the “frozen envelope” conspiracy, via The Athletic. “It’s ridiculous.”
The Knicks won the draft lottery and proceeded to select Ewing, at the time a college superstar from his days at Georgetown. Their lottery win riled up whispers of fraud or a fix. Teams were selected randomly from envelopes at the time, and there were strange allegations of a fix from fans, including everything from dry ice to X-Ray glasses. Nothing was proven, and Stern and the league denied it for years.
Ewing enjoyed a Hall of Fame career with the Knicks, earning 11 All-Star nods along the way to becoming one of the greatest big men in the history of the NBA. However, Ewing and the Knicks were never able to win the NBA's championship, reaching the Finals twice during his career. Still, the former Georgetown standout is viewed as one of the 50 best players in league history.
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