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Par Joël Pütz | Journaliste sportif
Dallas surprised everyone by winning the first pick in the draft lottery. Naturally, the process was accused of being rigged in the Texans’ favor… An insider who knows all about it has given his opinion on the matter.
The surprise was enormous, and so was the controversy. Who would have thought the Mavericks would walk away with the first overall pick in 2025? Yet that’s exactly what the lottery result turned out to be, with the Texans moving past all other franchises. Including the Wizards, Jazz, and Hornets, who had the best chance of winning the prize.
As a reminder, Dallas had a 1.8% chance of getting the first pick, and the feat is therefore as historic as it is astonishing. What’s even more disturbing here is the timing, since the franchise lost Luka Doncic three months ago following his trade to the Lakers. This is reminiscent of the Zion Williamson case in 2019, when the Pelicans drafted him a year after trading Anthony Davis… to Los Angeles. Some are now crying conspiracy.
Is the lottery system impossible to rig?
While the NBA modified the lottery system a few years ago to counter tanking, the league is now facing accusations of rigging in favor of the Mavs. But is it really possible to cheat during this process? ESPN Insider Tim Bontemps knows all about it and set the record straight on social media:
Tim Bontemps (via X) : The draft lottery isn’t rigged. I’ve sat and watched the ping pong balls come out. There’s no rigging it. Rather than saying that, I do think a fair thing to wonder is if the new rules have helped, or if they’ve created more problems than they’ve solved. Today didn’t help that.
As a reminder, the order of the franchises in the draft is determined by a system of small numbered balls, the combination of which helps determine the rank of the franchises. Put like that, it does seem complicated to manipulate the final result, and the Mavericks’ masterstroke seems more like a stroke of luck. However, we can be sure that this surprise will be debated for a while.
@jeffbatesonx : I’m amazed at how many people truly believe it’s rigged
@run_bull_ : Just run it like the NFL. It’s transparent. The worst team gets the first pick
@seanhalfcourt : As someone who has covered the Pistons and watch them get the number five pick three drafts in a row, I can tell you for a fact that this system needs to changenger.
