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Tuesday night's NBA Draft Lottery proved to be one of the most memorable in the league's history. Basketball fans understood the relevance of this momentous occasion, which resulted in a record-breaking telecast for this year's edition of the lottery.
🏀ESPN's 2019 #NBADraftLottery telecast was the highest-rated ever, based on overnights (Nielsen)
🆙3.9 overnight rating, up 77% from last year & up 22% from 2015, the previous record
📺Top 5 locals: Cleveland (7.6), Norfolk (7.5), NYC (6.7), Hartford (5.8) & Wash D.C. (5.6)
— Ben Cafardo (@Ben_ESPN) May 15, 2019
That's quite a tremendous leap from previous years, which goes to show how much was riding on the results of the lottery. With Duke's Zion Williamson leading the way, this is indeed one of the most talented draft classes in recent years, and basketball fans all over were extremely interested in where the talented prospect might land next season.
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It is also worth noting that out of the top 5 local areas that tuned in to the lottery, Cleveland and New York popped out as two cities that appeared to be highly invested in the event. This is quite understandable considering how both cities and their respective teams were the two highest-ranked sides (both at 14.0% odds) in terms of their probability of securing the first overall pick.
Unfortunately for both the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New York Knicks, this would not be their year. The top two spots went to a couple of unlikely teams, with the New Orleans Pelicans securing the first pick (6.0% odds), and the second pick falling to the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies (6.3% odds).
The Knicks would have to settle for the third pick (12.7% odds), while the Cavs would fall all the way to fifth (27.8% odds). Undoubtedly, the thousands of viewers that tuned in from Cleveland and New York are still in a state of shock following what can only be considered as a case of abysmal luck for both sides.
