The Mavericks shocked the NBA as a whole when they traded Luka Donsic in 2024-25. The combination of swapping injuries with top players has made Dallas a bad place.
However, a 1.7% chance, the Mavericks win the 2025 draft lottery and choose #1 overall. This made fans very suspicious. It’s not the first time that the legitimacy of a lottery draft has been raised question. Recently, Hall of Fame Shaquille O’Neill spoke about how former commissioner David Stern might have been equipped with a lottery for him in 1992.
Did David Stern rig the 1992 draft lottery for Shaq to be drafted by Orlando?
Shack says David Stern sent him to Orlando
“You want to play in a cold or hot place?”
I said it was hot… Orlando, Florida, number one (pic). ”
(via @ashleynevel,h/t @courtsidebuzzx / @fullcourtpass ))
– nbacentral (@thedunkcentral) May 19, 2025
After three seasons at LSU, Shaquille O’Neal entered the 1992 NBA Draft. He was widely considered consensus #1 overall choice. Recently, Shaq joined Ashley Nevel’s podcast. They were discussing the NBA draft lottery, and O’Neill talked about former commissioner David Stern. Three months before the draft, Stern told O’Neill he couldn’t wait for him to join the NBA.
That same day, David Stern pulled O’Neill to the side and asked him, “Do you want to play in a cold or hot place?” O’Neill vowed that this had happened, and he told Stern it was “hot,” and they both smiled at each other. Orlando won the lottery draft in 1992 and drafted Shaquille O’Neill from LSU. O’Neill didn’t think much about that at the time.
Since years have passed, the Hall of Fame has been skeptical about lottery drafts for many years. He said Dallas trained Luka Donsic before landing the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Unfortunately, David Stern passed away in 2020 and he is unable to tell his side of the story. Shaquille O’Neal pulled headlines in this latest story surrounding the legitimacy of the draft lottery.