Patrick Ewing on the theory that the 1985 Draft Lottery was fixed to favor the Knicks: "It might have be been fixed, and I don't care"

The New York Knicks won the first-ever NBA Draft Lottery in 1985 and earned the right to select Georgetown's Patrick Ewing with the No.1 overall pick. Ewing spent four seasons with the Hoyas and led them to three NCAA title games, including the championship in 1984.

The 7-foot center won the 1984 Final Four MVP award and the 1985 College Player of the Year title. His resume, size, and potential made him the most sought-after player in the draft class. But while the Knicks won the lottery, New York wasn't Ewing's preferred landing spot.

"The Knicks were my second choice," revealed Ewing. "First was Golden State because Sleepy Floyd was on that team. Sleepy was somebody I played with, and I thought it would be a great idea to play with someone I knew."

Ewing and Floyd played together at Georgetown

Ewing and Floyd were teammates at Georgetown. During Sleepy's final collegiate season, the duo led the Hoyas to the 1982 NCAA men's basketball title game, where they lost to Michael Jordan and the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. Floyd was taken 13th overall by the Golden State Warriors in the 1982 NBA Draft.

Golden State finished the 1984 season with a 22-60 record, which was tied with the Indiana Pacers for the worst mark in the league that year. In previous years, the Warriors would've tossed a coin with the Pacers to determine who got to pick first in the 1985 Draft. However, 1985 was the first year the Draft Lottery was introduced.

"You know, it might have been fixed, and I don't care," added Ewing. "I ended up where I was supposed to go."

The Fixed Draft Lottery?

A coin toss between the worst teams in the league the previous season would have given the Warriors a 50% chance of pairing Floyd with Ewing. However, because of the Draft Lottery, that probability dropped to 14.29%. And if that wasn't bad enough, the Warriors' envelope ended up with the worst possible outcome - No.7.

Meanwhile, the Pacers were nearly lucky. After five envelopes were revealed, only the Pacers and the New York Knicks remained in the running for the right to pick Ewing. However, as many theorized, the lottery was fixed , and the Knicks' envelope was either creased or frozen so that Commissioner David Stern knew which one to pick. Lo and behold, the Knicks won, as the league wished for.

Things turned out alright for Golden State. They picked Chris Mullin, who became a big part of the Warriors' history. But imagine if Golden State got to pick Ewing and pair the former Georgetown teammates. Or even the Pacers having Ewing and Reggie Miller together two years later. But as Patrick himself said, he ended up where he was supposed to go.

Related: Patrick Ewing believes greatness transcends eras: “I think great players can play in any era”