When was the NBA Draft Lottery introduced and why?
Here’s why the NBA Draft Lottery was introduced in the first place.
The 2025 NBA Draft Lottery is a major highlight of the basketball offseason, shaping the future for the league’s next generation of talent. It decides the order of the first 14 picks in the draft, giving non-playoff teams a chance to secure a potential franchise cornerstone.
With high stakes and plenty of buzz, fans, teams, and analysts alike will be tuned in as the results are revealed live on national TV.
Why was the NBA Draft Lottery introduced?
The NBA introduced the Draft Lottery in 1985 to reduce the incentive for teams to deliberately lose games — a tactic known as “tanking” — in hopes of landing a higher draft pick.
Prior to that, the league used a coin flip between the worst teams from each conference to decide who would get the No. 1 pick. This system virtually guaranteed a top selection for the league’s worst teams, encouraging some to lose on purpose.
Who DESERVES to win the NBA Draft lottery? pic.twitter.com/AgqpZqtI93
— Andy Bailey (@AndrewDBailey) May 9, 2025
What did the NBA do before the Draft Lottery?
Before the NBA Draft Lottery was introduced, the way things worked was a lot more rudimentary.
From 1966 until 1984, the NBA team that finished with the worst record in each conference took part in, wait for it, a coin flip for the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. That losing team received the No. 2 pick.
A quick history of the NBA Draft Lottery:
- 1966–1984: The worst team in each conference joined a coin flip to decide the No. 1 pick. The loser got No. 2, and other teams picked in reverse order of their records.
- June 1984: The NBA approved a new lottery system starting in 1985 for non-playoff teams to determine the first-round draft order. Later rounds remained based on record.
- April 1986: The lottery was adjusted to decide only the top three picks; the rest followed regular-season records.
- October 1989: A weighted lottery was introduced for the 1990 Draft, giving teams with worse records more chances at the top pick.
- November 1993: Odds were further adjusted to increase the top pick chances for the worst teams (from 16.7% to 25%) and reduce them for better-performing lottery teams.
- October 1995: Lottery expanded to 13 teams with the addition of Toronto and Vancouver, and the odds were slightly redistributed across teams 2–12.
- 2004: The lottery grew to 14 teams with Charlotte’s expansion, though the Bobcats were locked into the 4th pick that year.
- September 2017: Changes for the 2019 Draft gave the three worst teams equal 14% odds for the top pick. The first four picks are now decided by lottery; others follow record order.
Cooper Flagg:
— Zion O. (@DukeNBA) January 4, 2025
24pts
7/12 FG (2/2 3PT)
8/8 FT
10 rebounds
3 assists
2 blocks
Last two games: 24 PPG with 57% FG | 67% 3PT | 100% FT (12/12)
It’s getting scary.
pic.twitter.com/pbgQGhE5xw
The 2025 NBA Draft Lottery is scheduled for Monday, May 12, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois. The event will commence at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET). Fans can watch the lottery live on ESPN in the United States, and it will also be available through various live TV streaming services such as FuboTV.
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