The NBA Draft Lottery, used to choose which team gets the first overall pick, was established in 1985 as a countermeasure to teams tanking or purposefully losing to receive a higher draft pick. It’s seen some adjustments over the years,

The Dallas Mavericks won the 2025 NBA draft lottery on Monday in Chicago, securing the coveted top overall pick and the right to possibly select Duke University star forward Cooper Flagg next month.

Flagg is the consensus top player in the draft this year and in a tier of his own.