The NBA draft lottery and shenanigans go together like America and apple pie.
We know that, you know that and the betting public very clearly knows that.
The Chicago Bulls don’t really have a chance to win the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery, as they hold the third-worst odds (+5000) to take home the No. 1 pick on Tuesday night, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. That isn’t stopping the betting public from trying to get out ahead of a long-time NBA trope, though, as 27.3% of the tickets and 24.3% of the money taken by BetMGM is on the Bulls to be the beneficiary of an all-time fleecing.
If you’re still a tad confused as to what we’re getting at, let us explain. The NBA has been accused of rigging the draft lottery on a number of occasions, with almost yearly examples piling up to make a compelling case for the conspiracy. The lottery was birthed in 1985 by then-NBA commissioner David Stern, with the New York Knicks miraculously leapfrogging the Golden State Warriors and Indiana Pacers to win the top pick. The Knicks would go on to draft generational prospect Patrick Ewing. That’s where things started, as in 2012 the league-owned New Orleans Hornets jumped the Charlotte Bobcats — who own the worst record in NBA history — to draft Anthony Davis after losing Chris Paul following a vetoed trade by Stern. There are countless other examples.
Even those who don’t subscribe to conspiracy theories have raised an eyebrow at the history of the event. That isn’t the only thing influencing these bets, however.
The NHL had a suspect draft lottery just one week ago, with the Chicago Blackhawks leapfrogging the Anaheim Ducks and Columbus Blue Jackets to net to No. 1 pick — which will presumably be used to take superstar prospect Connor Bedard. If the NHL does it, in the public’s mind, why wouldn’t the NBA? The Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs are favored to receive the top pick. Is that where the league wants its new superstar, Victor Wembanyama, to be playing?
We don’t think so.
The #WembyToWindyCityWatch is on.
