NBA conspiracy theorists got more ammunition this week when Shaquille O’Neal was asked about the long-running suspicions over the draft lottery.
Since its inception in 1985, when some believe Patrick Ewing was awarded to the New York Knicks with the help of a secretly frozen envelope, the lottery has been a somewhat lacking effort to combat tanking.
The early lottery system was unweighted, with all teams that failed to make the postseason getting an even chance at that year’s top pick. That has since been replaced with a weighted lottery system, which gives the three worst teams a 14-percent chance of getting the first selection.
So, when Dallas Mavericks won this year’s lottery, and the chance to pick Duke sensation Cooper Flagg, despite a 39-43 record and a 1.8-percent chance at the top pick, many saw it as hard to believe.
Enter Shaquille O’Neal, who was asked about his own suspicions by podcaster Ashley Nevel.
‘In 1992… I meet [then-commissioner David Stern],’ O’Neal told Nevel of his own NBA Draft experience. ‘He pulled me to the side: “You want to play where it’s cold or where it’s hot?”
Commissioner David Stern and Orlando Magic first-round draft pick Shaquille O’Neal in 1992
NBA Commissioner David Stern and vice president Pat Williams of the Orlando Magic during the 1992 NBA Draft Lottery held in Secaucus, New Jersey
Naturally, the Louisiana State product preferred his climate ‘hot,’ as he explained to Nevel.
‘And he smiled and I smiled,’ O’Neal continued.
O’Neal got his wish soon after as the top picks were revealed for the 1992 NBA Draft.
‘Minnesota was No. 3. Charlotte was No. 2 and then Orlando, Florida, was No. 1,’ O’Neal said. ‘I was like (makes a questioning face). I didn’t think much about it. You hear a lot of these conspiracy theories. There are a lot of situations that can make these things sound good.’
O’Neal didn’t completely agree that a conspiracy was at play, but said the memory remains ‘very interesting.’
Of course, Orlando had the second fewest wins in the NBA in 1991-92, so it wasn’t a complete shock that the team would win the lottery.
Shaquille O’Neal attends the DraftKings and Sports Illustrated All-Star Party In Honor of NBA All-Star Weekend 2025 at Temple Nightclub on February 14
The bigger surprise would come a year later, when the Magic nearly reached the playoffs at 41-41, only to win the lottery for a second consecutive year in the spring of 1993.
Orlando would ultimately swap the top pick for the second selection with the Golden State Warriors, who would take Chris Webber, leaving future All-Star Anfernee Hardaway for the Magic at No. 2.
But as surprising as the 1993 lottery was, it’s not often discussed by NBA conspiracy theorists, who instead focus on the 2011, 2012 and 2019 drafts, where teams were able to replace well-known stars with top picks.
This year, the Mavs were hoping to quiet uproar over the controversial decision to trade franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package of players that included Anthony Davis.
So when Dallas ended up with the top pick, even NBA players couldn’t help but react.
LeBron James tweeted out a number of laughing emojis. Meanwhile, James’ former Cavaliers teammate Kevin Love posted, ‘I mean come on man’ with similar laughs.
