Former Portland Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy. Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

As they hope for a Victor Wembanyama-sized miracle, the Portland Trail Blazers are turning to an interesting former player for some luck.

The Blazers announced on Tuesday that retired ex-NBA All-Star Brandon Roy will be representing them at this year’s NBA Draft Lottery. The event, which will determine the order for the first 14 picks of the draft, is set to be held on May 16.

Still only 38, Roy was a lottery pick himself (No. 6 overall in 2006). He won Rookie of the Year in 2007 and then went on to make three All-Star teams and two All-NBA squads with the Blazers. But a degenerative knee condition forced Roy to retire early in 2013 after just six total seasons in the NBA. Roy finished his pro career with averages of 18.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.

Roy, whom we have not heard much from in recent years other than his exploits as a high school coach, is an interesting choice to represent Portland at the lottery. For one, he was not particularly lucky during his career thanks to his many injuries. But the Blazers, who had the NBA’s fifth-worst record this season at 33-49, only have a 10.5 percent chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick, so it might not matter either way.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Welcome to the WNBA: Caitlin Clark sets infamous record in debut
Jalen Brunson leads Knicks to blowout win in Game 5 vs. Pacers
Nikola Jokic torches DPOY to lead Nuggets past Wolves in Game 5
Oilers use late heroics to tie Canucks at two games each
Watch: Astros pitcher ejected after foreign substance check
Kirk Cousins not angry with Falcons because winning is 'hard enough'
Bronny James has surprising comments on potentially teaming up with LeBron
Bills add two-time Super Bowl champ to new-look WR room
Brewers lose team-leading home run hitter to injured list
Sandy Alderson denies involvement in Mets, Billy Eppler IL controversy
Twins reliever shut down for six weeks with patellar tendon tear
Chris Finch throws shade at Nuggets star over Rudy Gobert’s fine
Cardinals head coach warns not to bet against Kyler Murray
Details emerge on Jason Kelce’s role at ESPN
Rangers defenseman wins Mark Messier Leadership Award
Ex-NFL head coach takes over as Arena Football League commish
Yankees young stud takes major step in return from injury
See top groupings for Rounds 1 and 2 at 2024 PGA Championship
Former Bruins winger dead at 75
Super Bowl-winning safety plans to retire after 2024 season

Want more Trail Blazers news?

Join the hundreds of thousands of fans who start their day with Yardbarker's Morning Bark, the best newsletter in sports.