Apr 19, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts after missing a pass in the first quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Lakers’ LeBron James has skeptical reaction to Mavericks winning draft lottery

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Keenan Womack | Last updated May 12, 2025 9:18 PM ET

LeBron James knows a thing or two about being a top overall pick. He also may know something about favorable draws for an NBA franchise in the draft lottery, as the Cleveland Cavaliers landed the first pick in the 2003 NBA Draft and took Akron native, who went on to become one of the greatest players of all time.

When the Dallas Mavericks, who entered tonight with a 1.8% chance to win the draft lottery, somehow pulled the coup of the century and landed the top pick, it seemed suspicious to some, including the former top overall pick in James. He let his feelings be known with a post on social media, which can be seen below.

— LeBron James (@KingJames) May 12, 2025

Considering the thin chances Dallas had to make this happen, their undeserved good fortune, especially considering the timing, has created doubt amongst players as well as analysts and fans on social media about the legitimacy of the lottery process. This has been an ongoing controversy for years now, even since the changes made to the lottery in 2019.

Twitter and other social media outlets have been ablaze with media skepticism, as it seems almost too serendipitous after the season Dallas endured that they would luck into a player like the assumed number-one pick in Cooper Flagg. Still, it is an opportunity for this organization to move on from the Luka Doncic era and begin a new chapter of the franchise.

Of course, there is always the chance that GM Nico Harrison makes another head-scratching move and deals the pick for an aging superstar. Hopefully, there are guardrails put in place to prevent such a thing from happening this time around.

This article first appeared on Dallas Mavericks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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