Feb 26, 2020; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (9) warms up before the game against the San Antonio Spurs at the AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Hornets strangely not considered among the NBA's unluckiest draft lottery teams

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Schuyler Callihan | Last updated May 12, 2025 6:00 PM ET

Getting lucky is not something Charlotte Hornets fans are used to. Tonight, that could change if they come out as the winners of the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery.

Considering all of the years the Hornets fell just shy of the No. 1 pick, you would assume they'd be among the NBA's unluckiest teams in the lottery, right? Not exactly.

Bleacher Report's Bryan Toporek recently ranked the eight unluckiest teams in the history of the lottery, purely based on where a team was projected to select and where they fell to in the draft order. Using that data, the Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, and Miami Heat are the association's unluckiest organizations.

Sure, draft position changes should play into the formula, but so should what happened in the years teams either fell or just missed out on the top pick.

For example, Charlotte picked second overall in the years that Shaquille O'Neal, Dwight Howard, Anthony Davis, and Victor Wembanyama went No. 1. The players the Hornets ended up with in those respective drafts? Alonzo Mourning, Emeka Okafor, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Brandon Miller.

Okafor had his moments, but never rivaled the career of Dwight Howard. The same can be said for Alonzo Mourning to Shaq. Kidd-Gilchrist was a bust, so that was a clear case of bad luck missing out on No. 1, and it's way too early to tell on Wembanyama/Miller.

If this piece is factored into the data, Charlotte would undoubtedly be among the unluckiest franchises in the history of the NBA Draft lottery.