The NBA draft lottery takes place on Sunday, when the Golden State Warriors will learn whether their 2% chance at the No. 1 pick pays off and which pick they’ll be offering to the Houston Rockets this summer in a rejected trade offer for Kevin Durant. It all depends on the combination of ping-pong balls drawn in a closed room, where the Warriors will send legendary public relations man Raymond Ridder to observe.
That’s how the NBA ensures fairness, or if you’re a conspiracy theorist, where Adam Silver
gets all 14 officials to agree to give the No. 1 overall pick to whoever most recently helped the Los Angeles Lakers and then never tell a soul. But the real stars are the on-stage representatives, who appear on camera and help bring luck — or awful, franchise-ruining disappointment — to their teams.
Here’s a ranking, from worst to first, of the 14 different legends, team officials, active players, and owner’s children attending the big lottery draw.
14. Scott Perry, Sacramento Kings
Perhaps Perry feels the need to show his face at the draft lottery after one season at the helm of the Kings, one where he traded last year’s Kings lottery rep, Keon Ellis, along with his big free-agent signing, Dennis Schroder. But does he have to remind the poor Sacramento fans that the man who previously used lottery picks on Elfrid Payton, Mario Hezonja, Frank Ntilkina, and Kevin Knox is in charge of their draft? At least he’s not a blood relative of Vivek Ranadive.
13. Larry Harris, Golden State Warriors
Did the Warriors reward a longtime scout and executive with a place in the spotlight? Or did no one more exciting than Del Harris’ son volunteer to go to Chicago for the event?
12. Tayshaun Prince, Memphis Grizzlies
Prince is the Memphis Grizzlies’ vice president of player affairs, but he’s primarily associated with the glory days of the Detroit Pistons, not the 139 games he played for the Grizzlies. This also feels like a situation where other executives weren’t interested in the task and Prince drew the assignment. Was Tony Allen busy?
11. Mallory Edens, Milwaukee Bucks
Edens is a social media influencer who rose to fame at age 18 when she represented the Bucks at the 2014 lottery draw and the internet got inappropriately horny about a girl who hadn’t graduated from high school yet. Bill Simmons said, “The Cavs won the lottery and Mallory Edens won the Internet,” which Jerry Seinfeld would probably agree with.
Gross! Anyway, Doc Rivers got fired and Giannis Antetokounmpo is getting traded, so the Bucks might as well send the daughter of their billionaire owner to the lottery. Edens is a film producer and — allegedly — the ex-girlfriend of Aaron Rodgers, so expect her to do her own research instead of accepting the NBA’s so-called “lottery odds.”
10. Nick Collison, Oklahoma City Thunder
There’s no one who could make the Oklahoma City Thunder sympathetic in the lottery draw for a draft that might take place a week after they win their second straight title. Collison is as good a choice as any, a veteran who spent all 15 years of his career with the Thunder and became the first player to get his jersey retired in OKC. Plus, he’s used to taking a pounding in the low block so if observers start throwing things at him when the Thunder jump into the top three, Collison can take it.
9. Vince Carter, Brooklyn Nets
No shade to Vinsanity, who was great in his time with the Nets, but are the Nets really the team you’d associate with Carter? Then again, the Nets are woefully short on franchise legends, since most of their greatest players spent more time with other teams, like Jason Kidd or Derrick Coleman, or reached greater heights elsewhere, like Brook Lopez or Julius Erving. Maybe they can call on Kerry Kittles the next time they’re in the lottery.
8. Onsi Saleh, Atlanta Hawks
Is sending the general manager of your team a little boring? Usually yes, but Saleh deserves a chance to be in the TV spotlight as a reward for pulling off the heist that got the Hawks into this room in the first place — swapping last year’s No. 13 pick to the New Orleans Pelicans for the No. 23 pick and this year’s Pelicans first-rounder. Now they have a 29.3% chance at a top-four pick and a 6.8% chance at No. 1.
Saleh also landed a promising young forward named Jonathan Kuminga who has inspired very little discussion among our commenters in the past few seasons.
7. Rolando Blackman, Dallas Mavericks
Trotting out Cooper Flagg, last year’s No. 1 pick, isn’t going to get any sympathy for the lottery gods, to whom the Mavericks sacrificed former general manager Nico Harrison early last season. Instead, they’re using Blackman, a four-time All-Star and former Mavericks assistant coach — who just happened to be their rep at the Flagg lottery last year.
6. Alonzo Mourning, Miami Heat
‘Zo is a legend in South Beach, winning a title in 2006 and two Defensive Player of the Year awards. For younger fans, Mourning is the subject of one of the world’s greatest GIF’s, where the veteran goes through a full gamut of emotions while seated on the bench. Imagine his reaction if the Heat get lucky!
5. Kon Knueppel, Charlotte Hornets
Choosing a promising young player to attend the draft generally has good vibes. It feels like the hypothetical lottery pick is being welcomed early. Knueppel is a strong choice because he finished second in the Rookie of the Year and unlike 60% of the Hornets starting lineup, he doesn’t have legal issues regarding domestic violence, reckless driving, or being an accessory to murder.
4. Keyonte George, Utah Jazz
George is another good-vibes pick, especially since he’s the biggest draft success story so far in the Jazz’s multi-season tanking odyssey. He outranks Knueppel because he’s had to go through more misery by enduring three seasons on the Jazz. Knueppel only knows the Hornets as a playoff team!
3. Toni Kukoc, Chicago Bulls
Kukoc has a non-specific front office role as a “special adviser to the team president and CEO,” but his real role is “Member of the 1996-98 Bulls.” It’s a strong selection and more exciting than the rep the last time the Bulls won the draft lottery in 2008: Bulls executive vice president of marketing/broadcasting Steve Schanwald, who was called ‘Stan” during the telecast.
2. TJ McConnell, Indiana Pacers
McConnell could be a controversial choice as a draft lottery guy, because he wasn’t drafted coming out of college. However, that’s also the case with Ben Wallace, the only modern-day undrafted NBA player to make the Basketball Hall of Fame, and he was the Detroit Pistons representative in 2021 when they won the lottery and landed Cade Cunningham. The basketball gods reward hard work and hustle!
1. John Wall, Washington Wizards
Wall may be the biggest bright spot for the Wizards since Wes Unseld retired 45 years ago. That says a lot about the franchise, but Wall was a tremendously exciting, five-time All-Star whose career was derailed by a freak injury (He slipped and ruptured his Achilles tendon while recovering from Achilles surgery). He was also the No. 1 pick in the 2010 draft, making him the perfect Wizard rep. Plus, if they sent Anthony Davis or Trae Young, they’d probably get hurt climbing into their seats.
