The NBA draft lottery is an annual event where teams that missed the playoffs in the previous year participate to determine the draft order for the upcoming NBA draft. The lottery began in 1985. The lottery winner gets the first pick in the draft, allowing them to select from eligible amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. Teams in the lottery are often called lottery teams. Picks determined through the lottery are called lottery picks.
1966: NBA Draft System Revamped with Coin Flip
The NBA revamped its draft system, introducing a coin flip between the worst teams in each conference to determine the first overall pick. The loser of the coin flip would get the second pick, with the remaining picks determined in reverse order of the teams' records.
1984: Coin Flip Determines First Overall Pick; Tanking Concerns Arise
The Houston Rockets won a coin flip to secure the first overall pick. Following accusations of teams intentionally losing games to get the top pick, the NBA decided to introduce a lottery system the following year.
1985: New York Knicks Win First Draft Lottery, Select Patrick Ewing
The New York Knicks won the first NBA draft lottery and used the top pick to select Patrick Ewing. Speculation arose about the lottery's legitimacy, as some believed it was rigged to ensure the Knicks got the first selection.
1985: NBA Draft Lottery Introduced
The NBA implemented a lottery system to determine the draft order for teams that missed the playoffs. The new system aimed to prevent teams from intentionally losing games to secure the first pick.
1985: Introduction of the NBA Draft Lottery
The NBA Draft Lottery was introduced.
1985: Introduction of the NBA Draft Lottery
The NBA Draft Lottery was introduced.
1985: Conspiracy Theories Surround Patrick Ewing Draft
Speculation arose that the NBA rigged the 1985 draft lottery to send Patrick Ewing to the New York Knicks, potentially by refrigerating the envelope containing the Knicks' logo. The speculation stemmed from the theory that the NBA wanted the best player in the draft to go to a large market like New York to increase ratings.
1987: Lottery System Modified to Determine Top Three Picks
The NBA modified the lottery system to determine the first three picks, with the remaining non-playoff teams selecting in reverse order of their records.
1988: Miami Heat join the NBA
The Miami Heat joined the NBA as an expansion team.
1989: Envelope System Used for Final Time in NBA Draft Lottery
The controversial envelope system used to determine lottery picks was used for the final time, being replaced by a weighted lottery system in the following year.
1990: Introduction of the weighted lottery system in the NBA Draft Lottery
The NBA implemented a weighted lottery system in the Draft Lottery, changing the odds for teams based on their regular season record.
1990: Weighted Lottery System Introduced for NBA Draft
The NBA implemented a weighted lottery system, giving teams with worse records a higher chance of securing the top pick.
1990: Weighted Lottery System Gives Worst Team 11 out of 66 Chances at Top Pick
The NBA's newly implemented weighted lottery system gave the worst non-playoff team 11 chances out of 66 to get the first pick, with the second-worst team receiving 10 chances. The system aimed to provide teams with poorer records a better opportunity to secure higher draft picks.
October 1993: NBA Modifies Lottery System to Increase Chances for Worst Team
The Orlando Magic, despite having only one chance to obtain the first pick, won the lottery. The NBA responded by further modifying the weighted lottery system, increasing the chances of the worst team getting the top pick from 16.7% to 25%.
1993: Four-Number Combination from 14 Balls Determines Lottery Winner
In the revised weighted lottery system, 14 numbered table tennis balls were used, with a four-number combination drawn to determine the lottery winner. The NBA assigned 1,000 possible combinations to the non-playoff teams.
1993: Orlando Magic win the NBA Draft Lottery
The Orlando Magic won the NBA Draft Lottery with only a 1.5% chance of winning, marking the biggest upset in lottery history.
1994: Four-Number Combination from 14 Balls Determines Lottery Winner
In the revised weighted lottery system, 14 numbered table tennis balls were used, with a four-number combination drawn to determine the lottery winner. The NBA assigned 1,000 possible combinations to the non-playoff teams.
1995: Expansion Franchises Restricted from Top Pick
An agreement was made that the expansion franchises, the Toronto Raptors and the Vancouver Grizzlies, would not be eligible for the first overall pick in the 1996, 1997, and 1998 drafts.
1995: Memphis Grizzlies join the NBA
The Memphis Grizzlies joined the NBA as an expansion team.
1996: Toronto Raptors Win Lottery but Pick Second
The Toronto Raptors won the lottery but were restricted from picking first due to the agreement made in 1995. The Philadelphia 76ers received the first pick.
1997: Expansion Franchises Ineligible for Top Pick
The Toronto Raptors and the Vancouver Grizzlies remained ineligible for the first overall pick as per the agreement made in 1995.
1998: Vancouver Grizzlies Win Lottery but Pick Second
Similar to the Raptors in 1996, the Vancouver Grizzlies won the lottery but were restricted from picking first. The L.A. Clippers received the first pick.
1999: Charlotte Hornets win the third pick in the NBA Draft Lottery
The Charlotte Hornets secured the third pick in the NBA Draft Lottery despite having the best record among all non-playoff teams. Their chances of landing a top-three pick were a slim 1.83%.
2006: Toronto Raptors Win First Overall Pick
The Toronto Raptors won the lottery for the first time as the fifth-worst non-playoff team, marking the first time they were eligible for the top pick since joining the league.
2008: Chicago Bulls win the NBA Draft Lottery
The Chicago Bulls won the NBA Draft Lottery with a mere 1.7% chance of winning, tying for the second-largest upset in lottery history.
2014: Proposed Lottery Reform Fails to Pass
The NBA Board of Governors voted on a proposed reform to the draft lottery, which would have given the four worst teams equal odds at the top pick. The proposal, designed to discourage teams from tanking for better draft odds, failed to receive the 23 votes needed to pass.
2014: Cleveland Cavaliers win the NBA Draft Lottery
The Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA Draft Lottery with a 1.7% chance of winning, tying for the second-largest upset in lottery history.
2014: Proposed Changes to NBA Draft Lottery
Changes to the NBA draft lottery were proposed, aimed at disincentivizing high-loss seasons by flattening the odds of getting the top pick.
2016: Dikembe Mutombo's Premature Tweet and Unchanged Lottery Order Raise Questions
Dikembe Mutombo's premature tweet congratulating the Philadelphia 76ers for securing the top pick before the lottery raised eyebrows. Adding to the suspicion, the draft lottery revealed an unprecedented outcome where every team remained in the same position as before the event, fueling suspicions about the process's fairness.
May 4, 2017: Magic Johnson Assures Lakers' Top-3 Pick, Raising Concerns about Draft Process
Lakers executive Magic Johnson assured head coach Luke Walton of a top-3 draft pick for the Lakers, sparking further concerns about the draft lottery's legitimacy. This occurred twelve days before the lottery, which saw the Lakers move up to the second pick.
2017: Boston Celtics trade for the #1 pick in the NBA Draft Lottery
The Boston Celtics acquired the #1 pick in the NBA Draft Lottery through a trade with the Brooklyn Nets. They later traded this pick to the Philadelphia 76ers.
2019: Chance for Each Seed to Get Specific Picks
A table outlining the chances for each seed to obtain specific picks was established after the 2019 draft lottery changes, assuming no ties between teams.
2019: New Odds for Each Seed in Draft Lottery
Following the changes made to the draft lottery in 2019, new odds were established for each seed to win the first pick.
2019: NBA Draft Lottery System Changed
The NBA implemented a new lottery system to discourage teams from intentionally losing games to improve their draft odds. The new system gives the worst three teams equal odds at the first overall pick and expands the lottery to the top four picks.
2019: Procedure for Tied Teams in Draft Lottery
The NBA implemented a procedure for determining lottery positions when teams have the same record. Each tied team receives the average of the total number of combinations for the positions they occupy. If the average is not an integer, a coin flip is used to determine who gets the extra combination. The coin flip also determines who picks first if neither team wins one of the first four picks.
2019: Number of Lottery Winners Increased
The NBA increased the number of lottery winners from 3 to 4, with the remaining picks still assigned based on regular season record. This change means a team can now drop no more than four spots from its seeded position to its actual draft position.
2019: NBA Draft Lottery Odds and Number of Picks Changed
The NBA modified the lottery odds, giving the bottom three teams an equal 14% chance of winning the top pick. Additionally, the number of teams selected in the lottery increased from three to four.
March 12, 2020: Tiebreaker for Tied Teams in Draft Lottery
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NBA season was suspended, and the record as of March 12, 2020, was used to determine lottery positions. The New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings tied for the 12th-worst record. They each received 12 lottery combinations, and a coin flip was used to determine the 12th and 13th positions. Sacramento won the coin flip and received the 12th best lottery odds.
2024: Atlanta Hawks Win Lottery Pick After Play-In Elimination
The Atlanta Hawks, eliminated in the first stage of the play-in tournament, became the first team to make the postseason and win a lottery pick. This was made possible by the implementation of the play-in tournament.