The Dallas Mavericks shocked the NBA world by winning the top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery, despite having only a 1.8% chance of landing it. The surprising outcome has sparked rumors that the lottery was rigged,

NBA fans are saying the draft lottery is rigged after the Mavericks got the No. 1 pick, securing the right to draft Cooper Flagg.

Well, the NBA Draft Lottery gods have a sense of humor. So much for the idea of Cooper Flagg going to a 20-win team. Instead, a statistically improbable Dallas Mavericks-San Antonio Spurs-Philadelphia 76ers-Charlotte Hornets top four upended all our previous assumptions about what might happen in the lead-up to the NBA Draft.

Cooper Flagg is widely-assumed to be the No. 1 overall draft pick, an 18-year-old forward who starred during his one season in the NCAA with Duke. The Mavs have already indicated that they are not planning to trade the No. 1 pick and Flagg looks set to join Dallas for the 2025/26 NBA season.