The best moments from the history of the NBA Draft Lottery

As far as lottery moments, one stands above the rest. The 1985 draft lottery was the "Patrick Ewing Sweepstakes," and rumors persist to this day that NBA commissioner David Stern took drastic measures to ensure that the big-market New York Knicks won the chance to draft the Georgetown big man. As envelopes were thrown into a tumbler, Stern reached in and fished around, and sure enough he pulled the Knicks envelope, which many conspiracy theorists maintain was either frozen, creased, or both, to ensure that Stern could pick it with ease. Whether you believe it or not depends on just how far you think Stern would go to swing the balance of power to a big-market team.

Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert needed a good luck charm. His team had lost LeBron James to Miami a year earlier, and the franchise had gone from an overnight contender to a cellar-dweller. Gilbert sent his son Nick to the draft lottery as the team's representative. Nick, who since birth had been battling a condition called neurofibromatosis, which causes tumors to grow anywhere on the body, proved to be a big good luck charm for the franchise. The Cavs won the first overall pick and used it on Duke guard Kyrie Irving. Irving didn't turn the Cavs into a contender right away, but he did help them win an NBA title before being traded to Boston.

By the numbers the 2010 draft lottery didn't have great things in store for the Washington Wizards. After a season that saw Gilbert Arenas get suspended for bringing guns into the team's locker room, as well as many big-name veterans get traded to cut salary, Washington had only a 10.3 percent chance to take home the first pick. Still, with Irene Pollin, widow of longtime owner Abe Pollin, representing them, the Wizards beat the odds to grab the No. 1 spot. Pollin was caught on camera, mouth agape, seemingly saying "Oh my God!" when the Wizards won the pick. Washington used it on John Wall, and while the franchise has sputtered in the playoffs, it has largely put the Arenas-fueled drama behind it.

This one isn't a particular moment, but rather it's a series of moments. From 1985 through 2017, teams with the best odds to win the draft lottery took home the first pick precisely seven times. Mikhail Prokhorov's Nets had a 12-70 season, only to lose out on the first overall pick in 2010 and falling to third in that year's draft. Prokhorov tried to take his team's draft lottery loss in stride, but the look on his face said it all. With so much of a focus on teams tanking, it bears mentioning that it does not seem like much of a recipe for success in terms of actually landing the top pick. In fact, with few exceptions, it seems that a season full of losing is most often followed by another "L" on lottery night. 

There are many who feel that the draft lottery is rigged, either frequently or in high-profile years. Dikembe Mutombo provided more fuel for that fire when he sent out a tweet congratulating the Sixers on winning the first pick in the draft — several hours before the lottery actually took place. Mutombo quickly deleted the tweet and claimed that he was merely looking at the team's odds for winning the pick and "got ahead of himself." But for many conspiracy theorists, it was further proof that the fix was in. The Sixers did get the first overall pick, by the way, and used it on Ben Simmons. 

Kansas star Danny Manning was the big prize at the 1988 draft lottery. The Clippers won the right to draft him, and general manager Elgin Baylor could hardly contain his glee. When the results were announced, Baylor joyously produced an already-made Manning jersey, complete with the No. 25 on the back. The right to select Manning was a big deal for the franchise, but it didn't exactly turn it around. The Clippers posted only one winning season during Manning's tenure with the team. 

Sixers President Pat Croce didn't have much of a poker face when his team won the first overall pick in 1996, one that it would use to select Georgetown guard Allen Iverson. Croce ran around the stage high-fiving other executives — the very same people who had just lost out to him in the lottery. Croce already had a reputation for being somewhat eccentric, so the rest of the people on stage probably weren't surprised. Still, his energy and happiness made the moment equal parts amusing and awkward and definitely made for great television.

2003's draft lottery saw Cleveland win the first pick. There was a local high school kid eligible for the draft that year, and you may have heard of him. His name was LeBron James, and it was a foregone conclusion that whichever team that picked first would take him. Still, then-owner Gordon Gund played it coy — or at least tried to — when he was interviewed after winning the lottery. "Now, we don't know who we're going to pick yet," was his original statement after winning, but it didn't take long for him to relent and acknowledge the obvious: The Cavaliers would select James first overall.

Remember Nick Gilbert, and what a heartwarming story it was to see him function as a draft lottery good luck charm for the Cavaliers in 2011? While most people were happy, one of the general managers who shared the stage with Gilbert was less enthused. David Kahn, GM of the Timberwolves, who entered that year's lottery with the best chance at the No. 1 pick, hinted that the fix was in and that the NBA wanted to make sure that the Cavaliers got the first pick with Gilbert representing them, because of what a great storyline it would be. While the Timberwolves later said the comments were meant to be tongue-in-cheek, many thought Kahn was correct to say what he did and that his complaint was legitimate.

Orlando struck gold in 1992 when it took LSU's Shaquille O'Neal with the first overall pick in the draft. Incredibly, despite having only the 11th-best odds at landing the No. 1 pick the next season, the Magic won it again. They ended up selecting Chris Webber, only to trade him immediately for Anfernee Hardaway and a bevy of first-round picks. The Magic were the first team in draft lottery history to win the rights to the No. 1 overall pick in back-to-back seasons. 

In 2015 NBA writer Chris Sheridan learned the hard way not to mess with Mallory Edens, daughter of Bucks owner Wesley Edens. Following the draft lottery, Sheridan referred to Edens as someone's future "trophy girlfriend," which prompted a withering retort from Edens on Twitter. Edens' response, which went, "so just for clarity, common thread that underwrites 'trophy' wife, daughter, and 'GF' is women = possessions, right?" Sheridan quickly responded with an apology, but he was undoubtedly the biggest loser of the evening. 

If you're noticing a theme here, perhaps you'll be swayed to the idea that something fishy really does go on with the draft lottery. The Bulls, with a mere 1.7 percent chance to land the first pick in the draft, won the lottery and were thus able to select hometown hero Derrick Rose. While he would become the youngest MVP in league history in the 2010-11 seasons, Rose's time in Chicago was somewhat marred by injury. Still, when the Bulls won the right to select him, it was one of the biggest "local kid does good" success stories around.

Minnesota's draft lottery history was filled with bad breaks. Prior to 2015 Minnesota twice had the highest odds of landing the No. 1 pick. The first was in 1992 but lost out to Orlando and thus missed the chance to draft Shaquille O'Neal. The team also had the best odds in 2011 but lost out to Cleveland, and then-GM David Kahn was none too happy about it. Finally, in 2015, Minnesota won the rights to the first pick and used it to draft Karl-Anthony Towns from Kentucky. Towns has been the focal point of a rebuilding effort that saw Minnesota end a 13-year playoff drought, in 2018.

This one isn't a moment, but it's a discussion of "the best moments in draft lottery history might as well take a brief moment to discuss why the lottery even exists." There was a worry that teams were tanking to select all-world center Hakeem Olajuwon in 1984, and therefore the draft lottery system was implemented to try to ensure honest competition. Given that people still complain about tanking to this day, it would seem that the system hasn't worked perfectly, though it notably gave us "The Process" in Philadelphia. Those who enjoy the drama, the awkwardness and the dismay of draft lottery night have Hakeem the Dream to thank.

The 2002 NBA draft lottery had a special bit of intrigue. The 7-foot-6 Chinese center Yao Ming was thought by many to be the draft's big prize, but there was no guarantee that he would in fact be the first pick. Still, the Rockets, who possessed only an 8.9 percent chance of winning the first pick, became yet another team to beat the odds, and in doing so they paved the way for Yao to both have a good career with Houston, as well as make basketball incredibly popular in China.

The 2004 draft lottery was good to the Orlando Magic. Orlando won the rights to the first pick in the draft, but that wasn't really the story. No, the story was Magic senior vice president Pat Williams' reaction when he was congratulated by deputy commissioner Russ Granik. One would think that Williams, who was the team's representative the previous two times it won the top pick, would have followed "act like you've been there" protocol. He did not. On shaking Granik's hand, Williams exuberantly fist-pumped and let out a high-pitched victory cry. It was an amusing sight, to say the least.