In a stunning turn of events, the Dallas Mavericks miraculously won the 2025 NBA draft lottery, granting the organization that traded Luka Doncic mid-season the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft.
The Mavericks entered the evening with just a 1.8% chance at claiming the top pick, but the organization defied the odds as the lottery balls worked in their favor.
Fans were absolutely bewildered after it was revealed that Dallas would be picking first, and even LeBron James couldn’t help but share his disbelief on social media. James took to X and posted a tweet consisting of several crying-laughing emojis, clearly just as surprised as the rest of us about how the lottery played out.
Of course, the No. 1 pick is widely expected to be used to select Duke forward Cooper Flagg, a potential franchise-altering player. While many anticipated he’d end up with a team like the Washington Wizards or Charlotte Hornets, both of whom finished at the bottom of the standings this past season and were tied for the best odds to win the lottery, it was the Mavericks—who were in the play-in tournament—that made out like bandits on Monday.
