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Today is the day. For fourteen NBA teams, their fate is set to change with the upcoming NBA Draft Lottery. Every team that did not make it to the playoffs proper has a chance, however miniscule, to win the first overall pick in the upcoming draft. For every franchise involved, that pick is a game changer.
At least a third of the current teams in the NBA have earned the first overall pick in the NBA Draft. There are nine teams that haven't won the NBA Draft Lottery, including the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Miami Heat. Instead of these non-winners, though, let's look at which teams have had the most luck in the fabled lottery.
(all information taken from RealGM)
Most NBA Draft Lottery Wins: Clippers and Magic
Two teams are tied for the most wins in the NBA Draft Lottery: the Los Angeles Clippers and the Orlando Magic. It's both a good and a bad thing: they get the first overall pick, yes, but that means they've been through many losing seasons to have a chance at landing said pick. Let's see how both teams used their draft lottery wins and how it's affected the team.
The Clippers have four lottery wins, but it's important to note that one of these picks were not actually used by the team itself. Their 2011 first overall pick went to Cleveland by way of trade. The Cavaliers used that pick to select star point guard Kyrie Irving. Considering that that draft had the likes of Kemba Walker, Klay Thompson, and Kawhi Leonard, the Clips might want that pick back.
Who did the Clippers select with their other three first overall picks? Well, at least one of those picks turned out to be a great player. The 2009 NBA Draft brought Blake Griffin to LA, bringing life to an otherwise dead franchise. The other two picks? Danny Manning and Michael Olowakandi. Their less-than-ideal drafting is a reason why they were a regular participant in the NBA Draft Lottery.
As for the Magic, they've parlayed their NBA Draft Lottery wins into some pretty incredible selections. With their first three first overall picks, they've taken Shaquille O'Neal, Dwight Howard, and Chris Webber. Not too bad for them, eh? The jury's still out on 2022 first overall pick Paolo Banchero, but his rookie season brings hope to this franchise.
2nd-most lottery wins: Sixers and Cavaliers
There are two teams with three NBA Draft Lottery wins in their pockets: The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Philadelphia 76ers. We talked a bit earlier about the Cavs (with their 2011 first overall pick coming from the Clippers), but they've gotten other first overall picks by the draft itself. Hilariously, all of these picks are connected to LeBron James, somehow.
The first connection is obvious: LeBron James was taken by his hometown Cavs in 2003 after they won the NBA Draft Lottery. Eleven years later, Cleveland used their two most recent first overall picks (Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins) to trade for Kevin Love. This move was done as part of LeBron's return to Cleveland. Those 2013 and 2014 picks might not have worked out individually, but they netted a player that eventually won them a championship.
The Sixers, on the other hand, used their first overall picks to varying success. Their first NBA Draft Lottery win was in 1986, when they won the lottery thanks to a pick sent by the Clippers. However, they infamously traded that pick to the Cavaliers, who took Brad Daugherty. Their next first overall pick was a guy named Allen Iverson. You may or may not have heard of him, he's pretty good. You've also likely heard about their most recent first overall pick, Ben Simmons: though it's for completely different reasons.
Other notable NBA Draft Lottery Oddities
The Magic's 1983 NBA Draft Lottery win was the most unlikely win in its history. They had a 1.52% chance of winning the lottery, but they somehow won it all. They used that pick to take Chris Webber. The next unlikeliest win comes from the 2008 Chicago Bulls and the 2014 Cavs, who had a 1.70% chance to win the first overall pick. Their picks were used on Derrick Rose and Andrew Wiggins, respectively.
The San Antonio Spurs have arguably maximized their NBA Draft Lottery luck. They won the lottery two times, and they selected David Robinson and Tim Duncan with those picks. Duncan was selected towards the end of Robinson's career, and he stepped into the role of a franchise cornerstone perfectly.
The current NBA Draft Lottery odds are slightly different from the previous drafts. Since 2019, the odds have been “flattened” in an effort to reduce “tanking”. The three teams with the worst records have a 14% chance to win the first overall pick.
