Heading to the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery, former Dallas Mavericks GM Rick Sund recalled the 1992 NBA Draft when Hall of Fame centers Shaquille O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning were picked No.1 and No.2, respectively.
That year, the Mavs had the third-worst record in the league and had an excellent chance to land the top two picks. But they slipped to fourth and ended up taking Jim Jackson. Dallas had the worst record in the league in the following two campaigns, but they got the fourth pick in 1993 and the second in 1994.
Sund then compared his team's luck against that of the Houston Rockets .
"Houston got Moses Malone, they got Sampson, they got Olajuwon, and they got Yao Ming," Sund said . " Those are four Hall of Fame centers – three of them drafted No. 1. That's why I say if Houston gets Wembanyama, then God is a Houston Rockets fan."
Rockets won back-to-back coin tosses
Although the Rockets have drafted three generational centers with the No.1 pick, two came during the pre-lottery era. In 1983, they beat the Indiana Pacers for the right to pick Ralph Sampson. Despite Sampson winning the Rookie of the Year in 1984, they finished with the league's second-worst record and won the coin flip again, which they used to select Hakeem Olajuwon.
The Rockets were luckier in 2002. Houston had the fifth-worst record in the league and only an 8.9% chance of winning the lottery. However, they moved from fifth to first and used the pick to draft Yao Ming.
"There isn't an NBA team that wouldn't have taken Sampson first, Olajuwon number one, or Yao Ming number one. And you also ended up with Moses Malone somewhere along the line," added Sund.
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So, is God now a Spurs fan?
Fortunately for Sund, the Rockets did not win the 2023 Draft Lottery. With a record of 22-60, Houston was tied with the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs with the best lottery odds at 14%. But from their pre-lottery spot of No.2, they got the 4th pick, which became Amen Thompson.
The Portland Trail Blazers jumped two spots from No.5 to No.3 and used the third pick to draft Scoot Henderson. Meanwhile, the Charlotte Hornets went from the No.4 position pre-lottery to 2nd overall and picked Brandon Miller. On the other hand, the San Antonio Spurs won the Draft lottery and landed Wemby.
Although the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers, with four No.1 picks each, are the luckiest teams in the Draft Lottery history, the Spurs are right there with them with three. With San Antonio ending up with David Robinson (1987), Tim Duncan (1997), and Wembanyama (2023), they have gotten as many generational centers as the Rockets in the NBA Draft.
So, will Sund say that God is a Spurs fan instead of a Rockets fan? No, some teams are just luckier than others.
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