When LeBron James chose the Miami Heat on July 8, 2010. When Kevin Durant joined the Golden State Warriors on July 7, 2016. When Kobe Bryant dropped 60 points in the final game of his career on April 13, 2016. When Luka Doncic joined the Los Angeles Lakers just this Feb. 2 certainly meets the criteria, too.

Another reason why conspiracy theorists say the NBA Draft Lottery is rigged is because the actual drawing of the ping-pong balls is no longer shown on live TV as it was in the past. However, the league invites select media members to attend the ball drawing, which takes place in a separate room in the venue right before the national TV broadcast.

Heading into the NBA Draft Lottery, the Philadelphia 76ers front office were already full of stress. This tension increased as a result of a massive mistake by ESPN announcer Kevin Negandhi during the lottery broadcast.

The 2025 NBA predraft process officially kicks off Saturday, with an expected 120 players, including Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, Derik Queen, Walter Clayton Jr ., and others, congregating in Chicago for the NBA draft combine, G League Elite Camp, and agency pro days.

Flagg led Duke to a Final Four appearance in 2024-25, on his way to garnering All-American and national player of the year honors from several organizations. The 6'9'' power forward averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, showcasing his mature, well-rounded game that is expected to translate seamlessly to the NBA.

The 2025 NBA Draft Lottery is set for a 7 p.m. ET start on ESPN. Live streams are available with offers from FuboTV (free trial), DirecTV Stream (free trial) and SlingTV (low intro rate).

The Mavericks plan to select Cooper Flagg and will not entertain the possibility of trading away the No. 1 overall draft pick for a proven superstar, sources told ESPN.