NBA Draft Lottery: Rigged, Broken, or Just Conveniently Absurd?

The Dallas Mavericks earned the rights to the No. 1 overall selection in the 2025 NBA Draft on Monday night.

The NBA Draft Lottery, broadcast live from Chicago, delivered one of the most chaotic outcomes in recent history.

Just a few short months after the puzzling Luka Dončić trade, the Mavericks were rewarded with the No. 1 pick—guaranteeing them Duke star and projected generational talent Cooper Flagg.

Behind the Mavericks, the San Antonio Spurs secured the No. 2 overall selection, giving them another premium star to pair with phenom Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox. The Philadelphia 76ers, who were arguably the NBA’s biggest disappointment this season, landed the No. 3 pick—despite having Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and Paul George on the roster.

The big losers of the night were the Charlotte Hornets with the No. 4 pick, the Utah Jazz with the No. 5 pick and the Washington Wizards with the No. 6 pick. These were the NBA’s worst teams, and their rosters do not have much talent. Without an opportunity to select Flagg, their rebuilds will likely be prolonged.

After the draft order was revealed, there wasn’t much buzz about the first half of the New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics Eastern Conference semifinals game that followed.

Instead, NBA fans took to social media, calling out the legitimacy of the draft lottery.

And this isn’t a new issue.

For decades, conspiracy theories have swirled about the lottery being rigged. The theory dates back to 1985, when the NBA allegedly wanted the Knicks to land the No. 1 pick. A frozen envelope supposedly helped then-commissioner David Stern identify New York’s card, allowing the Knicks to select Patrick Ewing.

In 2003, fans found it suspicious that the Cleveland Cavaliers landed the No. 1 pick—and the rights to select LeBron James, the local high school star already dominating the national spotlight.

So when the Mavericks won the top pick this year—with a generational talent like Flagg in the room—eyebrows were raised.

Even NBA stars like LeBron and Kevin Love weighed in on how bizarre the outcome seemed:

The Mavericks had just handed Dončić—one of the league’s brightest young stars—to the Los Angeles Lakers. In return, they received Anthony Davis and a first-round pick, which many felt wasn’t enough.

Mavericks GM Nico Harrison was heavily scrutinized for months, especially when Davis suffered an injury that essentially ended Dallas’ season.

But now Mavericks fans finally have something to celebrate. As long as Harrison doesn’t make another rogue move involving this pick, Dallas will land a generational prospect in Flagg—perhaps easing the sting of losing Dončić for what felt like nothing.

Seems pretty convenient.

The 2025 NBA Draft Lottery was sanctioned and overseen by Marc Dieli, a partner at independent accounting firm Ernst & Young LLP. However, the lottery itself is not broadcast live. The draft order is determined in a private room with Dieli present before the cameras roll. When the show begins, Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum simply announces the results.

NBA fans understandably have a hard time believing that the three worst teams in the league weren’t rewarded with a top pick. Instead, the league appears to be aiding teams that keep the NBA exciting.