Shaquille O`Neal has contributed a new anecdote to the ongoing theories questioning the fairness of the NBA Draft Lottery. O`Neal, famously the first overall selection by the Orlando Magic in the 1992 NBA Draft, recently raised eyebrows by detailing a discussion he had with then-NBA commissioner David Stern approximately three months before that year`s draft took place.
“[Stern] says to me, `Hey, I can`t wait for you to come to the NBA,`” O`Neal recalled on Ashley Nevel`s podcast. “Then he pulled off to the side. `You want to play where it`s cold or where it`s hot?` He asked me that. Yeah, he did. He asked me that. And I was like, `Hot.` And he smiled, and I smiled.”
O`Neal`s preference was ultimately granted, as Orlando secured the top pick in the lottery that year, with Charlotte and Minnesota picking second and third, respectively.
While the conversation didn`t strike him as particularly significant at the time, O`Neal now feels somewhat doubtful regarding the outcomes of other lotteries the NBA has conducted throughout the years.
“You hear a lot of these conspiracy theories, and there`s a lot of situations that could make these things sound plausible and true,” O`Neal commented, before bringing up the recent Dallas Mavericks winning this year`s lottery. The Mavericks faced considerable backlash from their fanbase after trading superstar center Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2024-25 regular season.
“It`s very interesting how it all played out,” O`Neal remarked concerning the Mavericks` lottery victory months after the Davis trade.
Arguably the most prominent lottery controversy surrounds the New York Knicks receiving the No. 1 pick in the 1985 draft. With that pick, the Knicks selected center Patrick Ewing, who went on to achieve a Hall of Fame career in New York. Ewing led the Knicks to the 1994 NBA Finals, where they were defeated by the Houston Rockets in a seven-game series. Although the Knicks didn`t win a championship with Ewing, they have an opportunity to end their 26-year absence from the NBA Finals if they can overcome their historical rival, Indiana, in this year`s Eastern Conference Finals.
Speaking of O`Neal, he was part of another controversial moment in NBA history when his 2002 Lakers team defeated the Sacramento Kings in the Western Conference Finals. The Lakers benefited from several questionable officiating calls during the series, particularly in Game 6, a narrow victory for Los Angeles that forced a decisive Game 7. O`Neal and his teammates eventually won Game 7 and went on to claim their third consecutive NBA Finals championship.
Regarding O`Neal`s pre-draft exchange with Stern, it is unfortunate that Stern is no longer alive to share his side of the story (he passed away in 2020). It is entirely possible that Stern was merely engaging in casual conversation with O`Neal, who is known for sometimes exaggerating his stories.
If his intention was to generate discussion and grab headlines, O`Neal has certainly succeeded. The Hall of Fame center has indeed ignited a new wave of questions and conversations concerning the NBA`s draft process and its perceived integrity.
Jasper Hawthorne