While for some of us it's nothing more than a low-level conspiracy, for many others it's so obvious that not even the sun can hide it. Thousands of NBA fans have been speculating for decades about the possibility that the Draft Lottery is rigged.
It's not a new suspicion. From the Knicks taking Patrick Ewing in 1985 to the Cavaliers taking the number one pick to select LeBron James in 2003, history is riddled with episodes that have fueled a theory that would have entertained Richard Castle for more than a few episodes. And the truth is, this year's draft has only fanned the flames of possible corruption.
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From 3% of Atlanta (2024) to 1,8% of the Mavs
The Dallas Mavericks had just a 1,8% chance of landing the number one pick. Still, they made it.And unless Anthony Bennett rises from the ashes, they'll use that pick to land the next big generational basketball star: Cooper Flagg.
This unexpected stroke of luck comes after one of the most proactively disappointing seasons for the franchise in recent decades. In a move that shook the league, The Mavs traded their 25-year-old All-NBA player Luka Doncic to Los Angeles LakersA world top-5 at a price (as much as one loves La Ceja) insignificant.
For many within the NBA, this twist of fate has been interpreted as a kind of silent compensation from the League to the Texan team.
Draymond Green, between irony and insinuation
Recently invited to the late night On Jimmy Kimmel's interview, Draymond Green didn't shy away from the topic. The Warriors power forward and subtlety have a zero correlation, and Kimmel knows it: a headline-making answer. So Kimmel asked him point-blank if he thought the outcome of the 2025 Draft Lottery was it a matter of chance or, on the contrary, there was a "black hand".
"Even though he suspends me often and fines me even more, I still consider Adam Silver a friend," the four-time NBA champion joked. "So I'm not going to do that to him. But it might be a little suspicious. Just a little."
Despite attempts to qualify his words later, the barb had already been thrown. He's not the only NBA player who shares his line of thought, but few dare to verbalize it for fear of retaliation from the Commissioner.
"Anything that's supposed to only happen 1,8% of the time... I'm not that lucky. Because it never happens to me.", he concluded with a smile full of message.
(Cover photo by Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images)
