The NBA Draft lottery will take place in New York on Tues., May 17. It will be the 32nd year the system has been in place.
NBA Draft Lottery history: The 76ers don’t have the No. 1 pick on lock
The lottery has gone through a lot of tweaks and seen plenty of upsets in the 32 years it’s been around.
The league initially had teams picks in reverse order of their records, from worst to best, and included a territorial pick, allowing franchises to select players from colleges near their area. That changed in 1966, when the worst teams in each division determined who would pick first by virtue of a coin flip. That rudimentary system was used for 19 years, until 1985, when a lottery was first instituted.
In that first iteration, all lottery teams had the same odds at landing the first overall pick. Envelopes for all non-playoff teams were selected out of a hopper, determining the draft order. That system immediately caused controversy when the Knicks got the first pick, which would become Patrick Ewing, as some believed the event had been rigged. Despite the criticism, it remained in place for five years. A tweak was introduced in 1987, which made it so that the lottery only determined the first three spots while team record was used for the others.
The weighted lottery system that is in place today was introduced in 1990, with the Nets getting the top pick and selecting Derrick Coleman. They are one of just four teams that landed it while having the best odds, along with the Cavaliers in 2003 (LeBron James), the Magic in 2004 (Dwight Howard) and the Timberwolves in 2015 (Karl-Anthony Towns). The 76ers are hoping to become the fifth this year, as they finished with the worst record and have the best odds.
The biggest winners in lottery history are the Clippers, who have gotten the top pick five times. They only got to use it three times, as they had traded it the two other times, in 1986 and 2011. The Cavaliers won it three times (2003, 2013, 2014) and got to select first overall in 2011 thanks to receiving the Clippers’ pick in a trade. The Magic won it three times, getting it in back-to-back years in 1992 and 1993 as well as in 2004.
The biggest upset in lottery history happened in 1993, when the Magic landed the top pick despite having only a 1.52 percent chance of doing so. They selected Chris Webber and traded him to the Warriors for Penny Hardaway and three first-round picks. In the last decade the Bulls (2008) and the Cavaliers (2014) have won the lottery despite having just a 1.7 percent chance.
Here’s a look at the complete history of the lottery:
| Year | Team | Previous season record | Probability of winning lottery | Player selected |
| 1985 | Knicks | 24-58 (3rd-worst) | 14.29% | Patrick Ewing |
| 1986 | Clippers (to Cavaliers via 76ers) | 32-50 (7th-worst) | 14.29% | Brad Daugherty |
| 1987 | Spurs | 28-54 (4th-worst) | 14.29% | David Robinson |
| 1988 | Clippers | 17-65 (Worst) | 14.29% | Danny Manning |
| 1989 | Kings | 27-55 (6th-worst) | 11.11% | Pervis Ellison |
| 1990 | Nets | 17-65 (Worst) | 16.67% | Derrick Coleman |
| 1991 | Charlotte Hornets | 26-56 (5th-worst) | 10.61% | Larry Johnson |
| 1992 | Magic | 21-61 (2nd-worst) | 15.15% | Shaquille O'Neal |
| 1993 | Magic | 41-41 (11th-worst) | 1.52% | Chris Webber |
| 1994 | Bucks | 20-62 (2nd-worst) | 16.30% | Glenn Robinson |
| 1995 | Warriors | 26-56 (5th-worst) | 9.4% | Joe Smith |
| 1996 | 76ers | 18-64 (2nd-worst) | 33.73% | Allen Iverson |
| 1997 | Spurs | 20-62 (3rd-worst) | 21.60% | Tim Duncan |
| 1998 | Clippers | 17-65 (3rd-worst) | 22.56% | Michael Olowokandi |
| 1999 | Bulls | 13-37 (3rd-worst) | 15.70% | Elton Brand |
| 2000 | Nets | 31-51 (7th-worst) | 4.40% | Kenyon Martin |
| 2001 | Wizards | 19-63 (3rd-worst) | 15.70% | Kwame Brown |
| 2002 | Rockets | 28-54 (5th-worst) | 8.90% | Yao Ming |
| 2003 | Cavaliers | 17-65 (T-Worst) | 22.50% | LeBron James |
| 2004 | Magic | 21-61 (Worst) | 25.00% | Dwight Howard |
| 2005 | Bucks | 30-52 (6th-worst) | 6.30% | Andrew Bogut |
| 2006 | Raptors | 27-55 (5th-worst) | 8.80% | Andrea Bargnani |
| 2007 | Trail Blazers | 32-50 (6th-worst) | 5.30% | Greg Oden |
| 2008 | Bulls | 33-49 (9th-worst) | 1.70% | Derrick Rose |
| 2009 | Clippers | 19-63 (2nd-worst) | 17.70% | Blake Griffin |
| 2010 | Wizards | 26-56 (5th-worst) | 10.30% | John Wall |
| 2011 | Clippers (to Cavaliers) | 32-50 (8th-worst) | 2.80% | Kyrie Irving |
| 2012 | New Orleans Hornets | 21-45 (T-3rd-worst) | 13.70% | Anthony Davis |
| 2013 | Cavaliers | 24-58 (3rd-worst) | 15.60% | Anthony Bennett |
| 2014 | Cavaliers | 33-49 (9th-worst) | 1.70% | Andrew Wiggins |
| 2015 | Timberwolves | 16-66 (Worst) | 25.00% | Karl-Anthony Towns |
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