The Dallas Mavericks have earned the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft after shockingly winning the draft lottery on Monday. The Mavericks had just a 1.8% chance of getting the top pick, and LeBron James seemed to find these turns of events rather amusing.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
— LeBron James (@KingJames) May 12, 2025
A couple of James’ former teammates also had some interesting reactions. Kevin Love sent out some laughing emojis as well, but added some text, too.
Kevin Love: “There is no f***ing way. I mean, come on, man.”
Tristan Thompson, meanwhile, predicted the Mavericks would win the lottery minutes before it was revealed.
Tristan Thompson: “Told Y’all.”
Of course, the Mavericks getting this fortunate just months after trading Luka Doncic to James’ Los Angeles Lakers has only strengthened the belief in some circles that the lottery is rigged. There have been one too many occasions by now where things have panned out a bit too perfectly.
It happened with James himself, of course. He was the most hyped prospect to enter the NBA in ages in 2003, and the Cleveland Cavaliers, his hometown team, would win the lottery that year. Back in March, James hinted that the NBA might have rigged the lottery in 2003 and on some other occasions.
“During the lottery drop, Cleveland got the No. 1 pick and I don’t think that was an accident,” said James on the Pat McAfee Show. “Let’s keep LeBron home, Patrick Ewing to the Knicks, Derrick Rose to the Bulls, I understand the assignment guys I had to make sure to do my part, I didn’t want to be a f*ck up.”
The NBA has been accused of rigging the lottery right from the first time it took place in 1985. A can’t-miss prospect in Patrick Ewing was the prize for whoever won it, and the New York Knicks were the fortunate ones. That proved to be rather controversial, and there was talk about frozen envelopes and whatnot.
Whatever the case may be, the Knicks got Ewing back then, and the Mavericks now look set to get a can’t-miss prospect of their own. Cooper Flagg has been the consensus No. 1 pick of this draft, and he is set to team up with Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving to form a big 3 in Dallas.
Mavericks fans had been distraught ever since Doncic had been traded, but they now have a new savior in Flagg. While the 18-year-old is unlikely ever to become as good as the Slovenian, he certainly has the potential to be a star in the NBA.
The Mavericks weren’t the only ones to get extremely lucky on the night. The San Antonio Spurs got the second pick despite having just a 6.3% chance at it. That proved controversial as well, with the Spurs rumored to be part of the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes.
The Spurs now have a premium draft pick to include as part of the package for Antetokounmpo, and it will be very interesting to see what happens in the coming weeks. Could the Mavericks also potentially consider parting with their pick for Antetokounmpo? Time will tell.
