There are few more exciting moments during the season than the annual NBA Draft Lottery, with the 2023 version sure to bring plenty of fireworks because of Victor Wembanyama. The lottery almost always produces a shocking moment or two. There always seems to be a team that somehow beats the odds to significantly improve their standing in the draw, while on the contrary, other sides suffer what they call the luck of the draw — or the lack thereof. Below we've compiled a top-three list of the most shocking moments that have transpired throughout the history of the NBA Draft Lottery.
4. 2023: Pistons out of luck
My reaction to the @DetroitPistons getting the 5th pick in the NBA Draft… pic.twitter.com/KX39DZKei0
— Jalen Rose (@JalenRose) May 17, 2023
The Detroit Pistons picked the wrong year to beat the odds the wrong way. The 2023 NBA Draft Lottery was widely anticipated as the Victor Wembanyama lottery. Wembanyama is the consensus best prospect for the NBA Draft since LeBron James.
The Pistons had the worst record in the NBA in 2022-23 and were tied for the best odds to win the lottery along with the San Antonio Spurs and Charlotte Hornets. The Pistons were guaranteed to finish no worse than fifth.
The lottery, of course, is announced in reverse order, so it was a big shock when the Pistons were announced as having the fifth pick, the worst-case scenario. After that reveal, it was no surprise that the Spurs won the lottery with the Hornets getting second in the 2023 NBA Draft.
3. 2011: The Cavs Get Lucky
The 2011 NBA Draft Lottery was a roller-coaster ride for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Prior to the lottery, they had a 19.90% chance of winning the first overall pick, second only to the Minnesota Timberwolves, whose odds were at 25.00%. Once the balls were drawn, however, the Cavs fell all the way to fourth. They ended up using that pick on Tristan Thompson, who at that time was a raw prospect that needed at a year to develop.
However, the Cavs still ended up snatching Kyrie Irving in that draft as the first overall pick. They owned the pick of the Los Angeles Clippers, who were fortunate enough (at least from Cleveland's point-of-view) to win the lottery despite having just a 2.80% chance of snagging the first pick. A couple of months prior to the draft, the Clippers traded the aforementioned pick to the Cavs along with Baron Davis in exchange for Mo Williams and Jamario Moon. In hindsight, it is clear that the Cavs won that deal, especially considering how Irving eventually helped them win the title in 2016.
2. 1993: Orlando's Magic
Before we entered the new millennium, Shaquille O'Neal was arguably the most highly touted talent entering the NBA Draft. This was in 1992, and as destiny would have it, the Orlando Magic won the lottery that year. They had the second-best odds to win the first overall pick, and true enough, they lucked out. As we all know, O'Neal would do great things in Orlando prior to making his move to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996.
It was in 1993, however, that the Magic shocked the world by once again winning the lottery for a second consecutive year. What makes this victory even more amazing is the fact that Orlando only had a 1.52% chance of winning that lottery. Their pre-draft ranking was 11th, but all those statistics didn't matter once their name was drawn for the first pick.
The consensus top overall pick was Michigan's Chris Webber — but the Magic had other plans in mind. With some prodding from O'Neal, the team shipped the pick to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for three future first-round picks and the third overall selection, which was used to nab Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway — a player O'Neal coveted after filming the drama Blue Chips with him. The guard then formed a tremendous partnership with Shaq during the early 1990s.
1. 1985: The Frozen Envelope Conspiracy Theory
As far as shocking moments of the NBA Draft Lottery go, one particular episode stands out. This was in 1985 in the infamous frozen envelope incident, which centered around the New York Knicks and then-league commissioner David Stern.
The story goes that at that time, the NBA was desperate to increase its viewership. What better way to do that than by sending over the first overall pick of the draft — a 23-year-old 7-footer who had one of the most decorated NCAA careers in Patrick Ewing — to the big-market Knicks.
According to legend, the league premarked the envelope containing the Knicks by folding one of the corners. This allowed Stern to conveniently pick New York's envelope, and thereby handing over Ewing to the Knicks. The fact that this was the first year the league had adopted the NBA Draft Lottery system certainly didn't help prove the NBA's innocence.
Shockingly, that's exactly what happened on the night of the lottery. The Knicks beat six other teams that had equal odds to win the first overall pick, and as Ewing had quite a memorable career in New York.
Then again, the shock factor was perhaps not that considerable for some folks who had predicted this very same outcome beforehand. There were already whispers prior to the draft that the NBA was going to rig the lottery in favor of the Knicks, and the results of that evening just validated their theories.
Nothing was ever proven, but nevertheless, this is still one of the biggest conspiracy theories in, not only the NBA Draft Lottery but that of the entire history of the NBA as well. This turn of events were so controversial that it led to the league opting to revamp the lottery system soon after. Envelopes were nixed in favor of ping pong balls, presumably under the premise that balls are “rig-free.”
Then again, as they always say, if there's a will, there's a way.
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