NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal was one of the most talented prospects heading into the 1992 NBA Draft. Recently, in conversation with Ashley Nevel, however, O’Neal unraveled a story from his experience involving late-NBA commissioner David Stern that would raise some eyebrows about the process. He said,
“In 1992, the draft was in June or something. I meet Mr. Stern in March, and he says to me, ‘Hey, can’t wait for you to come to the NBA.’ And he pulled me to the side and said, ‘Do you want to play where it’s cold or hot?’ He asked me that.”
“I said, ‘Hot’. He smiled and I smiled and a couple of days later they had the draft thing and the top 3 things and Minnesota was No. 3, then Charlotte was No. 2, and then Orlando, Florida was No. 1.”
“I didn’t think anything about it,” continued O’Neal. “But, you hear a lot of these conspiracy theories that there’s a lot of situations that could make these things sound good and sound true.”
The Hall of Famer then directed attention towards the story of how the Dallas Mavericks rose through the ranks to land the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. He acknowledged the circumstances surrounding the situation, from the Luka Doncic trade and how “coincidentally” the Mavs now have an opportunity to draft a generational talent to be their franchise cornerstone.
While he didn’t mention it outright, there is an indication that the lottery process is rigged. Fans have certainly become convinced of it as Dallas rose 11 places, which, considering their 1.8% chance of winning, seems farfetched.
The lottery pick process was introduced in 1985, the year that Patrick Ewing was drafted into the league. The way the New York Knicks “won” the first-overall pick has been viewed as one of the most suspicious cases of rigging in the NBA. With several theories surrounding the case, the conspiracy grew. Unfortunately, a distinct lack of evidence also suggested that there was nothing more to it.
Regardless, the Mavericks now have an opportunity to land one of the most highly-touted prospects in the world. Cooper Flagg has garnered a lot of attention for his tremendous skill and potential. Given that the Duke product hasn’t identified his ceiling for growth yet, the Mavs could see him developing into a franchise cornerstone.
Pairing Flagg with the likes of Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis could stand to make the Mavs a team to watch out for in the West. Although Irving’s injury will keep him sidelined for a large part of the upcoming season, Dallas will look forward to seeing their core share the floor eventually.
Meanwhile, there have also been rumors that the Mavericks may use the first pick as a trade chip and attempt to land a proven star. There have been reports going both ways on this matter, thus setting up a tense narrative leading up to the 2025 NBA Draft.
