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Is the NBA Draft Lottery Rigged?

Is the NBA Draft Lottery Rigged?

  • Yes, Always

    Votes: 2 4.9%

  • Yes, Sometimes

    Votes: 15 36.6%

  • No, But Was Rigged Previously

    Votes: 9 22.0%

  • No, Has Never Been Rigged

    Votes: 15 36.6%
  • Total voters
    41
SoberasHotRod

SoberasHotRod

Well-Known Member
2025 Award Winner
I'm curious to see what Jazzfanzzers believe.

Here's a few things to chew on:

www.deseret.com

Inside Danny Ainge’s first-ever time in the NBA lottery drawing room

The Atlanta Hawks surprisingly got the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery and the Jazz dropped down to get the 10th pick.
www.deseret.com www.deseret.com
creators.spotify.com

Sarah Was In The Draft Lottery Room by Unsalvageable

So to a series of technical issues this episode is late.... BUT Sarah was in the lottery room, and we learn a lot about how it works. And also, it's funny! if you are Cooper Flagg or related to Cooper Flagg, DO NOT LISTEN! http://patreon.com/Unsalvageables All of this and more in the latest...
creators.spotify.com creators.spotify.com
web.archive.org

Did Dikembe Mutombo reveal that the NBA Draft lottery is rigged?

Hint: maybe. Probably not.
web.archive.org web.archive.org
www.sbnation.com

Luke Walton says Magic Johnson assured him the Lakers will keep their top 3 pick

And they did! Did Johnson know something we didn’t?
www.sbnation.com www.sbnation.com
thereplaysports.substack.com

Was the 1985 NBA draft lottery rigged?

Creased envelope! Frozen envelope!
thereplaysports.substack.com thereplaysports.substack.com
www.cbssports.com

NBA Draft Lottery 2020: Conspiracy theories that make us wonder if the lottery is rigged by the NBA

This year's draft lottery probably wasn't rigged, but let's revisit some that might have been
www.cbssports.com www.cbssports.com

NBA draft lottery - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 
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I've said this before. I think some picks are rigged in advance, and I think some picks are random. These franchise-altering #1 picks are simply too valuable to allow their allocation to be left purely to chance. At the same time, the league can say, "Lottery picks are left to chance," and they'd be correct, as technically many of them are.

The Pelicans getting Zion Williamson to rebuild with after imploding with the Anthony Davis trade demand and suspension, while the Lakers concurrently move up to get a #4 pick they can use to complete the Anthony Davis trade, is just too wonderful a coincidence for the league and both franchises involved. It stabilized the Pelicans franchise and pushed Lebron and the Lakers into contention. The mathematical probability of both these events occurring was miniscule.
 
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Pels/Cavs/Wolves winning it multiple times when perrenial losing teams like the Hornets or Kings never won it in their franchise history.
 
As mentioned previously, I served as an enlisted soldier in a US Army Psychological Operations Battalion that conducted PYSOP in 1980s Latin America, so I am aware of stuff that doesn’t comport with appearances. Yet I still want proof before I commit to the belief that it has been rigged. I suppose technically, I’m agnostic on the issue, I did not personally observe the lottery draws. It might have been rigged, it might not have. But belief in being rigged, that’s too much for me to commit to.
 
I don't let it change me but I believe it is rigged sometimes. I think Wimby going ro SA was rigged. It was very curious he had previously said he want SA and that is who he got.
 
The draft is not rigged, but the rumors and conspiracy theories are an integral part of the NBA's cultural fabric. Fans need these campfire tales about the League secretly favoring other teams. The feeling of injustice is very important. It strengthens the fan/team relationship.
 
It's very easy ex post facto to come up with narratives that people are willing to believe for why a result must have been rigged (and especially so when there's a great draftee on the line).

It's probably much harder (unlikely in the world of odds) to come to a result that won't produce a narrative of being rigged.

And sample sizes are way to small to dissuade anyone from their opinion.

(This is my way of saying I don't think the draft is rigged, but it's baked into the cake that accusations of rigging will come up.)
 
SoberasHotRod said:
I'm curious to see what Jazzfanzzers believe.

Here's a few things to chew on:

www.deseret.com

Inside Danny Ainge’s first-ever time in the NBA lottery drawing room

The Atlanta Hawks surprisingly got the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery and the Jazz dropped down to get the 10th pick.
www.deseret.com www.deseret.com
creators.spotify.com

Sarah Was In The Draft Lottery Room by Unsalvageable

So to a series of technical issues this episode is late.... BUT Sarah was in the lottery room, and we learn a lot about how it works. And also, it's funny! if you are Cooper Flagg or related to Cooper Flagg, DO NOT LISTEN! http://patreon.com/Unsalvageables All of this and more in the latest...
creators.spotify.com creators.spotify.com
web.archive.org

Did Dikembe Mutombo reveal that the NBA Draft lottery is rigged?

Hint: maybe. Probably not.
web.archive.org web.archive.org
www.sbnation.com

Luke Walton says Magic Johnson assured him the Lakers will keep their top 3 pick

And they did! Did Johnson know something we didn’t?
www.sbnation.com www.sbnation.com
thereplaysports.substack.com

Was the 1985 NBA draft lottery rigged?

Creased envelope! Frozen envelope!
thereplaysports.substack.com thereplaysports.substack.com
www.cbssports.com

NBA Draft Lottery 2020: Conspiracy theories that make us wonder if the lottery is rigged by the NBA

This year's draft lottery probably wasn't rigged, but let's revisit some that might have been
www.cbssports.com www.cbssports.com

NBA draft lottery - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
Click to expand...
I said no but it was previously.... I think the Ewing draft could have been rigged since the system was old school. Stern would have had motivation and was a dictator. So he would take it upon himself. In the last 25-30 years though... don't think so.
 
Saint Cy of JFC said:
If the draft was rigged, does anyone on the team who it was rigged for now that? I feel like if anyone knew about it, it would get out eventually.
Click to expand...
And if they don't know about it then many of the stories/motives fall apart. If they found out about it then when it happens for another owner are they cool with it or would they bring it up. At some point one of them would have had loose lips right?

I just don't see the real motivation when the costs of being found out are so high (and likely). When the league was actually in real trouble I could see the doing some shady ****... because there was motive. After Jordan I just think the money was too big to risk it.
 
Tremendous Upside said:
The draft is not rigged, but the rumors and conspiracy theories are an integral part of the NBA's cultural fabric. Fans need these campfire tales about the League secretly favoring other teams. The feeling of injustice is very important. It strengthens the fan/team relationship.
Click to expand...
Exactly.

There would have to be so many people in on these conspiracies, and it would be impossible that no-one has ever talked.
 
Tanktastic said:
Exactly.

There would have to be so many people in on these conspiracies, and it would be impossible that no-one has ever talked.
Click to expand...

Not necessarily. If the draft were rigged, the information could be kept among a relative few people.

Also, I remember Kyrie Irving's dad was quoted as saying that Kyrie was going to Cleveland before that draft lottery.
 
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NOP loses Davis and proceeds to get Zion.

We lose Donovan and Rudy and proceed to get Taylor and Cody?

Time to make things right in the SLC Silver.
 
Currently there are almost 60% of Jazzfanzers who believe that the lottery has been rigged at some point. Almost 40% of Jazzfanzers believe it could be rigged today.

Interesting.
 
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