The NBA Draft Lottery took place last night, and the sports world had just one question:
Is it rigged toward certain teams?
The Dallas Mavericks entered the lottery with a mere 1.8% chance at the No. 1 pick after failing to get past the play-in tournament. With their roster in flux and whispers of a franchise reset, the Mavs desperately needed a spark.
And somehow… they got it.
As the selections were revealed live, tension built. When Dallas’s name wasn’t called in the bottom half, fans started shifting in their seats. And when the Mavs were awarded the No. 1 overall pick, the first reaction across social media wasn’t celebration — it was:
“This can’t be real.”
“It has to be rigged.”
This isn't the first time the lottery has faced accusations of manipulation.
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1985: The infamous Patrick Ewing draft, with frozen envelopes and shady camera angles.
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2003: The LeBron sweepstakes — many believed the NBA would never let him land in Memphis. Cleveland got the miracle instead.
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And time and time again, big-market or high-stakes franchises seem to jump the odds.
Let’s not ignore the elephant in the room — we never see the ping pong balls. We’re simply told to trust the process behind closed doors. And year after year, teams with the best odds are left picking up the pieces while long shots leapfrog to the top.
So, is the NBA Draft Lottery rigged?
We may never know for sure. But every time a team like Dallas defies 1.8% odds, and every time the ping pong balls remain out of sight, the whispers grow louder.
And if there’s one thing sports fans love more than the game itself —
it’s a good conspiracy theory.