NBA Draft Lottery - Lottery Ceremony

Lottery Ceremony

See also: National Basketball Association criticisms and controversies

The drawing of the ping-pong balls is conducted in private, though observed by independent auditors and representatives from each team. The results are subsequently presented in a short ceremony (typically broadcast prior to or during halftime of an NBA playoff game), in which the order of the lottery is announced in reverse order, from the fourteenth selection to the first. Representatives from each NBA franchise with a lottery pick are present at the lottery ceremony.

The decision of not showing the ping-pong balls live has fueled speculation that the NBA will occasionally fix the Draft Lottery if it can benefit the league. The root of this speculation is the 1985 Draft Lottery that sent Patrick Ewing to New York, with the theory being that the NBA wanted to send the best player in the draft to New York to increase ratings in a large television market. At that time the NBA used 7 envelopes in a tumbler representing the seven teams with the worst record. When the envelopes were added to the tumbler, two envelopes were put in forcibly, and banged against the edge, while all the rest were set in gently. The first envelope drawn was the 1st pick, and it went onwards up to the 7th pick. David Stern went for an envelope with a bent corner, which upon opening the envelope, it was revealed that the New York Knicks logo was inside, fueling speculation of a draft fix ever since. Afterward the Draft Lottery Format was changed to the current ping-pong ball lottery in a private room with team representatives. However, conspiracy theories still persist regarding the annual outcome of the lottery.