NBA fans cry foul as Mavericks win draft lottery

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The Dallas Mavericks had a 1.8% chance of winning the NBA Draft Lottery going into the ordeal on Monday; they defied the odds and ended the day with the No. 1 overall pick.

The prize for any team was going to be former Duke Blue Devils star Cooper Flagg. He is considered one of the best young basketball players since before he even entered the collegiate ranks.

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Dallas Mavericks' Rolando Blackman celebrates after NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum announced that the Mavericks won the first pick in the NBA basketball draft lottery in Chicago on Monday, May 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

For the Mavericks, luck was on their side. Dallas made the shocking move to trade Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in February for Anthony Davis. The team still made the play-in tournament and competed to be one of the eight teams to challenge for the NBA title.

The NBA world was left dumbfounded that the Mavericks were able to get the top pick. Basketball fans spoke of "conspiracy" while LeBron James and Kevin Love added their own reactions to the fray.

Mavericks CEO Rick Welts was in charge of the draft lottery when the New York Knicks received the No. 1 pick in 1985 – in what theories suggested was "rigged." He said he spent four years debunking those theories and will likely need to debunk the 2025 lottery as well.

FILE - Duke's Cooper Flagg, #2, looks back after dunking the ball as Houston's Terrance Arceneaux, #23, Mylik Wilson, #8, and Milos Uzan, #7, watch during the first half in the national semifinals at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament on Saturday, April 5,