Fans Swear The NBA Is Rigged After Dallas Mavericks Secure No.1 Draft Pick
Source: Anadolu / Getty
Last night’s NBA Draft lottery went so unexpectedly that GM Nico Harrison has seen some reprieve from his constant roasting.
The Dallas Mavericks have somehow won the draft lottery, earning them the No. 1 pick. This will likely mean they’ll draft Duke’s Cooper Flagg, who’s been hyped as a potential franchise player.
Mavs front office was HYPED after clinching the No. 1 pick
(via @dallasmavs) pic.twitter.com/HqoXAJjTx4
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 13, 2025
Not only are the Mavs getting the chance to redeem themselves, but it was highly unlikely they’d get that lucky, with only a 1.8 chance of getting the first pick, becoming the fourth-longest shot to ever win the draft lottery.
Last year’s tank-worthy teams included the 17-65 Utah Jazz, 18-64 Washington Wizards, and the 19-63 Hornets, all of which had a 14% chance of winning the number one lottery.
It caps off a year of ups and downs for the Mavericks, beginning with a 2024 Finals loss. The 2025 campaign kicked off very promising, but then, in one of the biggest shakeups in NBA history, Harrison traded away franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis from the Los Angeles Lakers. Injury-prone Davis promptly missed 18 games with an abductor strain, and Kyrie Irving suffered a torn ACL, effectively ending the Mavs’ season and hopes of a deep playoff run.
The chances of the Mavs getting lucky were so slim that claims of the NBA being rigged were brought up.
— LeBron James (@KingJames) May 12, 2025
Just 10 minutes after the announcement, LeBron James tweeted a bunch of crying laughing emojis, which has fans remembering the time he appeared on The Pat McAfee Show and questioned the legitimacy of the NBA draft lottery.
“During the lottery drop, Cleveland got the number one pick,” James said. “I just don’t think that was – what a coincidence. Let’s keep LeBron home. You know what? Patrick Ewing to the Knicks. Derrick Rose to the Bulls. I understand the assignment, guys.”
Here’s how the rest of the night went:
No. 1: Dallas Mavericks
No. 2: San Antonio Spurs
No. 3: Philadelphia 76ers
No. 4: Charlotte Hornets
No. 5: Utah Jazz
No. 6: Washington Wizards
No. 7: New Orleans Pelicans
No. 8: Brooklyn Nets
No. 9: Toronto Raptors
No. 10: Houston Rockets (from Suns, via Nets)
No. 11: Portland Trail Blazers
No. 12: Chicago Bulls
No. 13: Atlanta Hawks (from Kings)
No. 14: San Antonio Spurs (from Hawks)
See how social media is reacting below.
