5 memorable NBA draft lottery moments

Let the balls fall where they may.

The NBA draft lottery presents the opportunity for non-playoff teams to expedite their rebuilding process by potentially hitting it big with a top pick. Finishing the regular season with the worst record doesn't guarantee anything but the largest chance to select first overall. Adding a level of drama and suspense to what's really just a series of envelopes being ripped open.

Here's a look at five of the most memorable moments in the history of the lottery:

Nick Gilbert is the ultimate lucky charm (2013)

Nick Gilbert, the son of Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, was in the hot seat representing the team during the 2013 draft lottery. Decked out in a red bow tie like his old man, as well as a pair of thick hipster glasses, the young Gilbert sought to bring good fortune to his father's team to help lift them out of the cellar in the Eastern Conference.

He had proven once before that he was a walking four-leaf clover in 2011, when he watched Cleveland - with the Los Angeles Clippers' pick and it's 2.80-percent odds - land Duke point guard Kyrie Irving at No. 1.

On this occasion, the then 15-year-old Gilbert stood in the spotlight as current league commissioner Adam Silver announced that the Cavaliers had won the first pick for the second time in three years, which was later used on UNLV's Anthony Bennett.

LeBron stays in Cleveland (2003)

It was written in the stars for the Cavaliers and high school phenom LeBron James to join forces in 2003, with Cleveland owning the greatest odds of winning the lottery at 22.5 percent, and James being a native of Akron, Ohio.

"We don't know who we are going to pick yet," former team owner Gordon Gund jokingly said when asked about the level of excitement within the organization. He later brought out a Cavaliers jersey with James' name and the No. 23, confirming what everyone in the basketball world already knew, James would start his NBA career in Ohio.

James led the franchise to five-straight postseason appearances during his first stint, while taking home Rookie of the Year honors and two league MVP's before bolting to South Beach in 2010.

The Ewing conspiracy (1985)

Conspiracy theorists continue to have a field day with what transpired during the NBA's inaugural lottery in 1985.

Many still believe that former commissioner David Stern rigged the proceedings in order for the New York Knicks to take Georgetown center Patrick Ewing, who was coming off a National Player of the Year win and an NCAA title with the Hoyas. From a financial standpoint, it made perfect sense for the NBA to want one of the most highly-touted prospects ever to land in one of the country's biggest markets.

When the seven envelopes were inserted into the plastic ball, you can see Jack Wagner, from the accounting firm Ernst and Whitney, bang the Knicks' card off the side of the ball, bending one of its corners. Some clever, albeit questionable maneuvering by Stern provided the Big Apple with its next superstar athlete.

While it's difficult to prove without a shadow of a doubt that it wasn't genuine, it's still fun to nitpick at all of the little nuances of this lottery that beg to question whether it was tampered with or not.

Magic hit the jackpot... again (1993)

The basketball gods shined down on the Orlando Magic franchise in 1992 when they selected Louisiana State center Shaquille O'Neal with the top pick. The eventual NBA Rookie of the Year helped the team jump 20 wins in the standings in his first year on the job, and with him solidified as the franchise cornerstone, it was safe to assume that brighter days were ahead.

That same year the Magic lost a tiebreaker with the Indiana Pacers, falling just short of qualifying for the playoffs. They came away with only one lottery ball out of 66 total, which amounts to a 1.52-percent chance of emerging with the first pick for a second year in a row.

Well, cashing in on the lowest odds in league history to make the gargantuan jump is what ultimately happened, with former general manager Pat Williams left floored by the announcement.

Chicago lands its hometown boy (2008)

There were 1,000 ping-pong balls for the 2008 lottery, and the Chicago Bulls only had 17 of them (1.7 percent).

Numbers weren't on their side with University of Memphis point guard Derrick Rose - who was born in The Windy City - being pegged as one of the favorites to get selected first overall.

Rose wasn't slated to be the next Michael Jordan, but the upside of having him suit up for his hometown as the Bulls' next megastar was obvious. There just weren't enough balls with the team's name on them to make anyone figure they had a realistic shot of landing the third-team All-American.

Probability be damned, though, as Chicago defied the largest odds since the lottery was changed from 66 to 1,000 balls, to fall in the No. 1 spot. Bulls executive vice president Steve Schanwald then made sure to remind everyone during the telecast what the number was for fans to get their season tickets.