The Dallas Mavericks won the lottery. Entering the day with a 1.8% chance of landing the top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, they overcame the odds and earned the right to pick Duke star Cooper Flagg next month, beating out more favored teams like the Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets.

The Dallas Mavericks' improbable win of the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery with just a 1.8% chance has reignitedconspiracy theories about the lottery being rigged, and we have eight examples through history where it just might be.

Social media detectives uncovered that the NBA lottery is rigged after teams make huge trades to the Clippers or Lakers.

The Draft Lottery is one of the NBA's longest-running traditions. Although it's been around in its current format for 30 years, the lottery is still the subject of rumors and accus

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.