Where the Mavs’ 2025 NBA Draft Lottery win ranks among the most unlikely ever originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The ping pong balls bounced the Dallas Mavericks’ way in the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes.
The Mavericks bolted to the top of the 2025 NBA Draft board thanks to one of the most unlikely draft lottery wins in event history.
Dallas, which was eliminated in the play-in tournament following a much-maligned midseason trade of Luka Doncic, entered the lottery with the 11th-best odds of landing the coveted No. 1 overall pick at 1.8%. The Mavs owned just 18 of the 1,001 possible four-digit combinations for the lottery drawing.
But one of them proved to be the winning combination for the top pick: 10-14-11-7.
The winning combination of ping-pong balls that earned Dallas the #1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft: 10, 14, 11, 7.
Watch the full lottery drawing below. https://t.co/StyERfjFoo
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 12, 2025
The Mavericks became just the fourth team with less than 2% odds to win the No. 1 pick since the weighted lottery system debuted in 1990.
The biggest lottery miracle came back in 1993. After winning the Shaquille O’Neal sweepstakes with the second-best odds in the 1992 lottery, the Orlando Magic came into the 1993 event with the worst odds at 1.52%. But Orlando jumped from No. 11 to No. 1, becoming the first franchise to win consecutive lotteries. The Magic selected Chris Webber first overall in 1993 and then promptly traded him to the Golden State Warriors for No. 3 pick Penny Hardaway and several future first-rounders.
There are two teams that have won the lottery with 1.7% odds. The Chicago Bulls in 2008 went from ninth to first before selecting hometown prospect Derrick Rose. And one year after claiming the 2013 No. 1 pick with the third-best odds, the Cleveland Cavaliers went back-to-back in 2014 by winning it with the ninth-best odds. Cleveland then used No. 1 pick on Andrew Wiggins and dealt him less than two months later to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a trade for Kevin Love.
Here’s a full look at the most unlikely draft lottery wins of all time, according to RealGM, along with the players who were selected:
1. Orlando Magic, 1993: 1.52% — Chris Webber
T-2. Chicago Bulls, 2008: 1.7% — Derrick Rose
T-2. Cleveland Cavaliers, 2014: 1.7% — Andrew Wiggins
4. Dallas Mavericks, 2025: 1.8% — TBD
5. Cleveland Cavaliers (via Clippers), 2011: 2.8% — Kyrie Irving
6.Atlanta Hawks, 2024: 3% — Zaccharie Risacher
7. New Jersey Nets, 2000: 4.4% — Kenyon Martin
8. Portland Trail Blazers, 2007: 5.3% — Greg Oden
9. New Orleans Pelicans, 2019: 6% — Zion Williamson
10. Milwaukee Bucks, 2005: 6.3% — Andrew Bogut
11. Toronto Raptors, 2006: 8.8% — Andrea Bargnani
12. Houston Rockets, 2002: 8.9% — Yao Ming
13.Golden State Warriors 1995: 9.4% — Joe Smith
Editor’s note: The original version of this story was published in 2022.
Where the Mavs’ 2025 NBA Draft Lottery win ranks among the most unlikely ever
The Mavs winning the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes marked one of the luckiest NBA Draft Lottery wins in event history.
The ping pong balls bounced the Dallas Mavericks’ way in the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes.
The Mavericks bolted to the top of the 2025 NBA Draft board thanks to one of the most unlikely draft lottery wins in event history.
Dallas, which was eliminated in the play-in tournament following a much-maligned midseason trade of Luka Doncic, entered the lottery with the 11th-best odds of landing the coveted No. 1 overall pick at 1.8%. The Mavs owned just 18 of the 1,001 possible four-digit combinations for the lottery drawing.
SIGN UP HERE But one of them proved to be the winning combination for the top pick: 10-14-11-7.
The winning combination of ping-pong balls that earned Dallas the #1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft: 10, 14, 11, 7.
Watch the full lottery drawing below. https://t.co/StyERfjFoo
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR)
The Mavericks became just the fourth team with less than 2% odds to win the No. 1 pick since the weighted lottery system debuted in 1990.
The biggest lottery miracle came back in 1993. After winning the Shaquille O’Neal sweepstakes with the second-best odds in the 1992 lottery, the Orlando Magic came into the 1993 event with the worst odds at 1.52%. But Orlando jumped from No. 11 to No. 1, becoming the first franchise to win consecutive lotteries. The Magic selected Chris Webber first overall in 1993 and then promptly traded him to the Golden State Warriors for No. 3 pick Penny Hardaway and several future first-rounders.
There are two teams that have won the lottery with 1.7% odds. The Chicago Bulls in 2008 went from ninth to first before selecting hometown prospect Derrick Rose. And one year after claiming the 2013 No. 1 pick with the third-best odds, the Cleveland Cavaliers went back-to-back in 2014 by winning it with the ninth-best odds. Cleveland then used No. 1 pick on Andrew Wiggins and dealt him less than two months later to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a trade for Kevin Love.
Here’s a full look at the most unlikely draft lottery wins of all time, according to RealGM, along with the players who were selected:
1. Orlando Magic, 1993: 1.52% — Chris Webber
T-2. Chicago Bulls, 2008: 1.7% — Derrick Rose
T-2. Cleveland Cavaliers, 2014: 1.7% — Andrew Wiggins
4. Dallas Mavericks, 2025: 1.8% — TBD
5. Cleveland Cavaliers (via Clippers), 2011: 2.8% — Kyrie Irving
6. Atlanta Hawks, 2024: 3% — Zaccharie Risacher
7. New Jersey Nets, 2000: 4.4% — Kenyon Martin
8. Portland Trail Blazers, 2007: 5.3% — Greg Oden
9. New Orleans Pelicans, 2019: 6% — Zion Williamson
10. Milwaukee Bucks, 2005: 6.3% — Andrew Bogut
11. Toronto Raptors, 2006: 8.8% — Andrea Bargnani
12. Houston Rockets, 2002: 8.9% — Yao Ming
13. Golden State Warriors 1995: 9.4% — Joe Smith
Editor’s note: The original version of this story was published in 2022.
