The NBA Draft Lottery is no stranger to conspiracy and drama. Over the years, the Lottery has come under fire from both fans and players alike following some questionable outcomes. The point of the lottery is for it to be random. The mathematical odds that a certain team would get the number one pick are astronomical. However, there have been certain instances and statements from previous number one picks that have brought the reputation of the NBA Draft Lottery into question. How much truth is there in these conspiracies?
What is all the controversy around the NBA Draft Lottery?
The NBA Draft Lottery offers teams in the NBA the opportunity to sign the next big star. The media attention that the sport of basketball gets in the United States is astonishing. From the high school level, prospects are evaluated for college offers. The college sporting environment of basketball and other American sports ensures the players are partially prepared for the demands of becoming a professional athlete.
The NBA Draft Lottery ensures fairness in the selection order of the upcoming draft by assigning picks at random. The lottery system the NBA uses gives each team the chance at getting that elusive number one pick in the draft. With this year’s lottery complete, the outcome has brought the conspiracy surrounding the draft back into the public’s attention.
That conspiracy comes down to the fact that some people speculate about the fairness of the lottery outcome. The speculation has been fueled by a certain legend, and a hall-of-famer, making statements around his own experience in the NBA Draft Lottery and a conversation he had with the now deceased David Stern. The truthfulness of this conversation will become a topic of discussion around the NBA.
What has Shaquille O’Neal said that has sparked this conspiracy?
Shaquille O’Neal is arguably one of the biggest stars in the NBA. He has dominated the court and the media’s attention in his personal life. He is known to stretch the truth at times, but this comment regarding a pre-draft conversation he had with David Stern has ignited the conspiracy all over again. This year’s Draft Lottery number one pick was won by the Dallas Mavericks, who will most likely select the number one draft prospect, Cooper Flag.
O’Neal came out and stated that he was asked by David Stern, “Do you wanna play where it’s cold, or where it’s warm?” to which O’Neal responded, “I wanna play where it’s warm.” The two then exchanged smiles, and that was the end of the conversation. When O’Neal was drafted by the Orlando Magic (it’s very warm in Orlando, Florida), he stated that a part of him questioned the outcome, and so did others in the NBA.
That conspiracy around the validity and randomness of the NBA Draft Lottery has once again come into question as the Dallas Mavericks won the first-round pick this year. What they plan to do with that number one selection is yet to be determined, but we can not see them not selecting the rising star that is Cooper Flagg. The outcome is amazing since the Dallas Mavericks had just a 1.8% chance of winning the lottery this year.
Will the conspiracy around the NBA Draft Lottery ever come to an end?
The pundits and fans around the NBA world will always need some talking points for their heated discussions. Whether the conspiracy around the Lottery has any truth to it is very hard to determine. However, the statements from Shaquille O’Neal have brought the Draft Lottery this year into the spotlight even more than it already was. The international nature of the NBA has become more evident in recent years, especially when we consider the fact that the last American to win the MVP award was James Harden in 2018. We can only speculate as to the truthfulness of this conspiracy and its effect on the league.
