3 hours ago
1
Shaquille O’Neal only did more to fan the flames of the NBA draft conspiracy theorists with a David Stern story from his draft year in 2992.
around him landing first overall to the Magic in 1992.
The idea of a “rigged” NBA draft lottery resurfaced last month when the Mavericks won the top pick in the draft — almost certainly Duke star Cooper Flagg — despite having a 1.8 percent chance, which came after stunning and highly ridiculed trade of Luka Dončić to the Lakers in February.
The most famous draft lottery conspiracy theory revolves around a supposed “frozen envelope” fans believed delivered Patrick Ewing to the Knicks in 1985.
O’Neal added another to the pyre during an interview with Ashley Nevel on Monday. The Hall of Fame center claimed that then-commissioner David Stern approached him in March, ahead of the June lottery, about what he was hoping for in the city he was going to play in as a rookie.
“[He] pulled me to the side. ‘You want to play where it’s cold or where it’s hot?’” O’Neal said. “He asked me that. I said, ‘hot’ and then he smiled and I smiled.”
O’Neal would later watch as the top-three picks were revealed.
“Minnesota was No. 3. Charlotte was No. 2 and then Orlando, Florida, was No. 1,” he said. “I was like (while making a questioning face). I didn’t think much about it. You hear a lot of these conspiracy theories. There are a lot of situations that can make these things sound good.”
O’Neal added that he didn’t want to use the word “conspiracy theory” but called the whole situation “very interesting.”
The LSU product played four seasons in Orlando and led the Magic to their first NBA Finals in 1995 before winning three championships with the Lakers and one with the Heat.
The Mavericks and GM Nico Harrison, who took the brunt of the criticism for dealing Dončić, are hoping to pair Flagg with Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis – who was acquired from the Lakers in the Dončić deal – will earn the franchise its first title since 2011.
English (US)