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LeBron James Appears to Respond to Mavericks Winning NBA Draft Lottery

Originally posted on The Spun | By Andrew Gould | Last updated May 12, 2025 10:13 PM ET

LeBron James may share fans' suspicions about the 2025 NBA Draft lottery.

On Monday night, the Dallas Mavericks jumped the line and won the No. 1 pick with just 1.8 percent odds. They can select Cooper Flagg months after alienating their fanbase by trading franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.

James appeared to respond to Dallas' fortuitous turn of events. Shortly after ESPN revealed that the Mavericks drew the top selection, LeBron posted a series of crying-laughter emojis on social media.

Some fans also thought something smelled fishy 22 years ago when the Cleveland Cavaliers won the No. 1 pick to draft the Akron native. James may not disagree with that notion either.

In a March interview on The Pat McAfee Show, LeBron implied that the 2003 lottery outcome wasn't random.

"Cleveland got the No. 1 pick?" James said. "I just don't think that ... what a coincidence. Let's keep LeBron home. You know what? Patrick Ewing to the Knicks, Derrick Rose to the Bulls. I understand the assignment."

That wasn't the first time a lottery affected LeBron. He rejoined the Cavaliers after they landed the No. 1 pick again in 2014 and traded Andrew Wiggins with fellow former top pick Anthony Bennett to acquire Kevin Love. Cleveland also selected Kyrie Irving after winning the 2011 lottery.

James and NBA fans can now wonder about Monday's results.

Earlier this year, the Mavericks baffled everyone by trading Doncic to the Lakers. The 26-year-old Doncic gives Los Angeles a new superstar to build around once the 40-year-old James retires.

On the other hand, Dallas faced a potentially bleak future before the lottery. The Mavericks had a short contention window behind the oft-injured Anthony Davis and Irving, a 33-year-old coming off an ACL tear.

However, the basketball gods offered Dallas a major assist on Monday. The Mavericks can now select Flagg, who won Player of the Year honors as an 18-year-old freshman at Duke.

Had they kept Doncic, the Mavericks may have at least advanced beyond the play-in tournament and missed the lottery entirely. They can instead rewrite history by drafting a tantalizing two-way prospect with a sizable ceiling.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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