The Most Head-Scratching NBA Lottery Results in the League's History

Published on May 13th, 2025 4:23 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


For years, the NBA has been dogged by allegations that their draft lottery is rigged.

With each passing year, it gets harder and harder to defend the league when it comes to this matter.

Things just have a way of working out for certain teams in certain times of need.

Here are seven of the most questionable draft lottery results in NBA history:

1. Patrick Ewing to the New York Knicks in 1985. The Knicks desperately needed a star - why not the homegrown talent of Patrick Ewing, who went to Georgetown University and was a generational prospect? This draft lottery spawned the allegation that the league had frozen the Knicks' envelope so that the Commissioner would know which envelope to choose for the first overall pick.

2. LeBron James to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003. Sure, the Cavaliers had a 22.50% chance of landing the generational talent, though it was definitely convenient that the "King of Akron" ended up with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

3. Zion Williamson to the New Orleans Pelicans in 2019. The Pelicans traded Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers on May 14th, 2019, and Davis would go on to help the Lakers win another championship. The Pelicans, despite having just a 6% chance of landing Zion in the 2019 NBA Draft, received the first overall pick.

4. Cooper Flagg to the Dallas Mavericks in 2025. The Dallas Mavericks were absolutely eviscerated for trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers earlier in the year. With the franchise in tatters, the Mavericks had just a 1.8% chance of winning the draft lottery, and guess what happened? They won, landing Cooper Flagg.

5. Derrick Rose to the Chicago Bulls in 2008. The Chicago Bulls were still trying to put things back together after the end of the Michael Jordan dynasty. Derrick Rose was a spectacular talent who just so happened to be born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. Despite having a 1.7% chance of winning the lottery, the Bulls won and selected Derrick Rose first overall.

6. Kyrie Irving to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2011. The Cavaliers were absolutely horrible after LeBron James bolted to the Miami Heat. Despite having just a 2.8% chance of winning the lottery in 2011, the Cavaliers had a bounce go their way as they managed to win the lottery. Kyrie Irving would be drafted by the team, and they would eventually go on to win a title (when LeBron James came back, of course).

7. Anthony Davis to the New Orleans Hornets in 2012. The Hornets had gone through some very tough times, finding themselves under league control for roughly a year and a half. After Tom Benson, owner of the New Orleans Saints, bought the team in April of 2012, the team was "lucky" enough to win the draft lottery, thereby securing the services of Anthony Davis, who was one of the top prospects to ever come out of college basketball.