NBA world loses it over Draft Lottery as conspiracy theories erupt

Basketball fans have been left seeing red with conspiracy theories taking over in the wake of the NBA Draft order being revealed.

James McKern

@jLmcKern

3 min read

May 13, 2025 - 12:35PM

The Dallas Mavericks have secured the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft in scenes that have left basketball fans furious.

The Mavericks entered the Draft Lottery with a 1.8 per cent chance of securing the top spot, but it was their ball that won out.

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The pick comes months after the organisation severed ties with superstar Luka Doncic in a move that sparked fierce backlash not only among the team’s own fan base but across the league.

It is the first time in franchise history that Dallas moved up in the lottery after having only an 8.5 per cent chance of making the top four.

Conspiracy theories the NBA Draft had been rigged immediately started taking off with fans furious the first overall pick was heading to Dallas despite their lowly odds at winning it.

The Mavericks secured the first overall pick in wild scenes. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/AFP

Basketball fans are now convinced the league stepped in to provide the top pick to the Mavericks to help soothe the fan base over in the wake of the Doncic trade.

ESPN reporter Shams Charania said in the aftermath: “This is unbelievable.”

Lakers Nation wrote on X: “So the Pelicans trade AD to the Lakers and then get the No. 1 pick. Now, the Mavericks trade Luka to the Lakers ... and then get the No. 1 pick.”

The Ringer’s Bill Simmons wrote: “Oh get the f*** out of here. Come on.”

Current NBA player Kevin Love wrote: “There is no f***ing way.”

Pardon My Take added: “The Mavericks picking first overall ... NBA rigged.”

Bryson Wright wrote: “We all know the lottery is rigged but this is on a different level. Did the NBA promise them the 1st pick to get Luka to LA.”

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— csb (@itsCSB__) May 12, 2025

ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted that securing the top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft would be major windfall for one organisation.

“One NBA executive estimated privately in recent weeks that winning the draft lottery would be worth a minimum of $500 million and maybe up to $1 billion for one lucky franchise,” Schefter wrote.

“The Mavericks just won the lottery, literally.”

How does the NBA Draft Lottery work?

The NBA revamped the system ahead of the 2019 Lottery with the three teams with the worst regular-season records each having a 14 per cent chance of securing the first overall pick.

After drawings are conducted for the first four picks of the NBA Draft, the other lottery teams will continue to pick in inverse order of their regular-season record.

The drawing uses 14 ping-pong balls, numbered 1 through 14. There are 1,001 possible combinations when four balls are drawn out of 14, without regard to their order of selection. Before the lottery, 1,000 of those 1,001 combinations will be assigned to the 14 participating lottery teams.

For the drawing, all 14 balls are placed in the lottery machine. They are mixed for 20 seconds, and then the first ball is drawn. The remaining balls are mixed in the lottery machine for another 10 seconds, and then the second ball is drawn. There is another 10-second mix, and then the third ball is drawn. There is a final 10-second mix, and then the fourth ball is drawn. The team that has been assigned the combination of the four balls drawn from the machine will receive the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

The ping-pong balls are then placed back in the machine and the same process is repeated for the second through fourth picks.

This process is done in front of select media, NBA officials and representatives from the participating teams will be in attendance for the drawings.

Cooper Flagg is more likely than not heading to Dallas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Who will the Mavericks draft with the top pick?

The Mavericks can now set their sights on adding the consensus first overall pick in 18-year-old Cooper Flagg.

The Duke standout has been described as the “safest No.1 pick in ages” by Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor.

Flagg is coming off an impressive freshman season at Duke which saw him average 19.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.3 blocks per game.

“It’s his growth as a shot creator that will decide if he reaches his All-Star floor or soars to his Hall of Fame ceiling,” O’Connor said.

As was the case with now San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, the worst teams in the NBA had all the reasons in the world to tank as hard as they could down the stretch to give themselves the best chance of drafting Flagg.

The 18-year-old has been generating hype for a number of years now, with Kevin Durant even declaring in an interview with Boardoom that Flagg can be “one of the top players in the league for 15 years”.