NBA fans cry foul as Mavericks win draft lottery

The Dallas Mavericks had a 1.8% accidental of winning the NBA Draft Lottery going into the ordeal connected Monday; they defied the likelihood and ended the time with the No. 1 wide pick.

The prize for immoderate squad was going to beryllium erstwhile Duke Blue Devils prima Cooper Flagg. He is considered 1 of the champion young hoops players since earlier helium adjacent entered the collegiate ranks.

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Dallas Mavericks' Rolando Blackman celebrates aft NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum announced that the Mavericks won the archetypal prime successful the NBA hoops draught lottery successful Chicago connected Monday, May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

For the Mavericks, luck was connected their side. Dallas made the shocking determination to commercialized Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers successful February for Anthony Davis. The squad inactive made the play-in tourney and competed to beryllium 1 of the 8 teams to situation for the NBA title.

The NBA satellite was near dumbfounded that the Mavericks were capable to get the apical pick. Basketball fans spoke of "conspiracy" portion LeBron James and Kevin Love added their ain reactions to the fray.

Mavericks CEO Rick Welts was successful complaint of the draught lottery erstwhile the New York Knicks received the No. 1 prime successful 1985 – successful what theories suggested was "rigged." He said helium spent 4 years debunking those theories and volition apt request to debunk the 2025 lottery arsenic well.

FILE - Duke's Cooper Flagg, #2, looks backmost aft dunking the shot arsenic Houston's Terrance Arceneaux, #23, Mylik Wilson, #8, and Milos Uzan, #7, ticker during the archetypal fractional successful the nationalist semifinals astatine the Final Four of the NCAA assemblage hoops tourney connected Saturday, April 5, 2025 successful San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

A HISTORY OF NBA DRAFT LOTTERY LEAPS: WHERE DO THE MAVERICKS RANK ALL-TIME?

"I'm the lone idiosyncratic who was successful this country and the country 40 years ago," Welts said, via The Washington Post. "I was successful complaint of the NBA draught lottery 40 years agone erstwhile Patrick Ewing won. I've been doing conspiracy mentation stories ever since. This is precise surreal, personally."

However, Welts was excited astir the accidental to prime Flagg.

The San Antonio Spurs received the No. 2 pick, the Philadelphia 76ers volition prime 3rd and the Charlotte Hornets volition person the 4th pick.

Duke's Kon Knueppel, left, and Cooper Flagg grin astatine the NBA hoops draught lottery successful Chicago connected Monday, May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

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After Flagg, the 2 apical prospects were considered to beryllium freshmen from the Rutgers Scarlet Knights – Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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