NBA Draft Lottery: Power Ranking the 5 Luckiest Teams in Draft Lottery History

The NBA draft picture will get a lot clearer tonight with the announcement of the lottery order. If the ping-pong balls follow the odds, Minnesota will have the top selection, but that’s far from a sure thing.

Historically, some of the most important draft picks in the 27-year history of the lottery have gone to teams that would never have expected to get the top pick. Which teams have done the most with their good fortune?

Herein lies the five teams who have gotten the best results from surprise lottery wins.

5. 2000 New Jersey Nets

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - FEBRUARY 18: Kenyon Martin #6 of the New Jersey Nets dunks the ball during the game against the Atlanta Hawks at Continental Airlines Arena on February 18, 2004 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Nets won 98-92. NOTE TO USER: Use

A 31-51 record doesn’t sound like much of a season, but it was only the seventh-worst record in the NBA in 1999-2000. Nevertheless, the Nets hit their 4.4 percent chance and got the top pick in the 2000 draft.

New Jersey selected Kenyon Martin, whose energy and athleticism fit perfectly with the fast-breaking style they would adopt upon acquiring Jason Kidd the following year. Martin made one All-Star appearance with the Nets, and played a key role in their back-to-back Eastern Conference titles in 2002 and 2003.

4. 1996 Philadelphia 76ers

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NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 26: Allen Iverson #3 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives around Maurice Taylor #2 of the New York Knicks during a game at Madison Square Garden on November 26, 2005 in New York, New York. The Knicks won 105-102. NOTE TO USER: User expr

Had the 76ers actually won the lottery in 1996, they wouldn’t have appeared to be that lucky, as they had the second-worst record the previous year. The remarkable part of their win was that it resulted from a do-over on the lottery draw.

As part of the league’s expansion agreement with the Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies, neither of those teams was eligible to win the lottery for three years after joining the league (1996, 1997 or 1998). When Toronto’s name came up first in 1996, the lottery had to be re-drawn, giving Philadelphia the pick.

The 'Sixers used their selection on future Hall of Famer Allen Iverson, who led them to one NBA Finals appearance, won an MVP award and made seven All-Star teams with Philly.

3. 1985 New York Knicks

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8 Nov 1996: Center Patrick Ewing of the New York Knicks dunks the basketball during the Knicks 88-81 win over the Los Angeles Clippers at the Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California. Mandatory Credit: Todd Warshaw/Allsport

The inaugural draft lottery provided fodder for conspiracy theorists when the big-market Knicks won the top spot over Indiana and Golden State. The current weighted-odds system wasn’t yet in place, so New York (which did have the league’s third-worst record) had the same 14.3 percent chance as every other non-playoff team.

New York used its No. 1 pick to grab Patrick Ewing, who turned the Knicks into perennial playoff contenders and made 11 All-Star teams in his Hall of Fame career.

2. 1993 Orlando Magic

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9 Jan 1997: Guard Penny Hardaway of the Orlando Magic goes up for two during a game against the Atlanta Hawks at Orlando Arena in Orlando, Florida. The Hawks won the game, 97-92. Mandatory Credit: Andy Lyons /Allsport

Just one year after drafting Shaquille O’Neal at No. 1 overall, the Magic became the only team ever to win the lottery after finishing at .500 or better. Their 41-41 record gave them the worst lottery odds, but their 1.5 percent chance came through.

Orlando selected Chris Webber with their No.1 pick, but immediately traded his rights to the Warriors for the rights to Penny Hardaway (who had gone No. 3 overall). Hardaway would make four straight All-Star appearances for the Magic, twice earning All-NBA recognition.

1. 2008 Chicago Bulls

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CHICAGO, IL - MAY 15: Derrick Rose #1 of the Chicago Bulls brings the ball up court against the Miami Heat in Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2011 NBA Playoffs on May 15, 2011 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER:

No NBA team has done more with such poor lottery chances than Chicago did three years ago. With just a 1.7 percent shot at a win, Chicago landed the top pick in a front-loaded draft.

The Bulls, of course, converted that pick into Derrick Rose, now the youngest MVP in league history. They appear to be set up as title contenders for several years to come, and none of it would have happened without that one lucky ping-pong ball.

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