VIDEOS: Great moments in NBA Draft Lottery history
Tuesday night brings the NBA Draft Lottery, in which bad teams get a better idea of who they will be able to select.
One lucky franchise is awarded the pick of the litter, and over the years that has meant some big names - not to mention an entire cottage industry founded on NBA conspiracy theories.
Here are five highlights from the past few decades.
5. Dan Gilbert's son, 2011
Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert sent his 14-year-old son Nick to the dais, and the team won the right to select Kyrie Irving at No. 1. Given that LeBron James had rudely bolted Cleveland a year earlier, this lent itself to theories about the NBA trying to make it up to the long-suffering Cavs.
4. Croce thrilled about Iverson, 1996
Then-Philadelphia 76ers president Pat Croce could not contain his glee after the team landed the first pick in the 1996 draft (5:40 mark, below). The Toronto Raptors had actually won the lottery ball draw, but were prevented from picking first due to an agreement with the league that prevented newer franchises from doing so.
Ostensibly, this came about due to the fledgling Orlando Magic picking first in both 1992 and 1993, but the Canadian arm of the NBA conspiracy theory collective disagreed. The Sixers selected Allen Iverson, while the Raptors got Marcus Camby.
3. Spurs will wait for David Robinson, 1987
Navy center David Robinson was the prize of the 1987 draft, but before he could play in the NBA, he was required to fulfill his two-year naval service commitment after graduation.
As San Antonio Spurs general manager Bob Bass put it, "we've waited 14 years, we can wait another two."
2. Cavs land homeboy LeBron James, 2003
The Cavaliers were particularly bad in 2002-03, while an 18-year-old phenom burned up the high-school hardwood in nearby Akron. On draft lottery night in May, it all paid off for the Cavs.
Note: the Memphis Grizzlies owed their No. 2 pick to the Detroit Pistons, who used it to draft Darko Milicic over the likes of Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.
1. Knicks land No. 1 pick, 1985
The granddaddy of them all. The moment you can pinpoint as the genesis of Draft Lottery conspiracy theory foolishness. Just look at the title of the YouTube video below.
Was it a frozen envelope that delivered Patrick Ewing to the New York Knicks?