May 12, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, US; Rolando Blackman of the Dallas Mavericks poses with Mark Tatum NBA Deputy Commissioner after winning the the first pick during the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery at McCormick Place. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images David Banks-Imagn Images

Utah Jazz GM Responds to Whether NBA Draft Lottery is Rigged

Originally posted on Utah Jazz on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated May 13, 2025 2:30 PM ET

With the conclusion of the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery in the books, and the Dallas Mavericks being the ones to take home the number-one overall pick at the end of the night, such a shocking outcome has led to a bundle of questions and concerns of whether the events in Chicago were ultimately rigged from the jump.

How could a team with 1.8% odds to land the number-one pick get so lucky? Especially following the events of this past trade deadline of the Luka Doncic fiasco and being shipped off to the Los Angeles Lakers, it's led to a ton of eyebrows being raised as to if the lottery is even a random draw, and instead being fixed to fit other motives by the league.

If anything, it's a fun, intriguing conspiracy theory to play around with, but in the eyes of Utah Jazz general manager Justin Zanik, the lottery was anything but rigged, despite his team falling to the depths of the fifth-overall pick on Monday.

"It's definitely not rigged," Zanik said following the lottery. "I guess the main thing is you definitely feel the 14% chance, not the 86% chance that it's not (the No. 1 pick.)"

Jazz GM Justin Zanik, whose team just lost the lottery, on whether or not the lottery is rigged: "It's definitely not rigged. I guess the main thing is you definitely feel the 14% chance, not the 86% chance that it's not (the No. 1 pick.)"
— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) May 13, 2025

Of course, for the Jazz, the way the lottery ended up panning out was anything but in their favor. But, it's far from saying the outcome was rigged against a team like Utah, or anyone else in the field, for that matter.

Instead, luck simply wasn't in the Jazz's favor on Monday. They entered the night with a 47.9% chance to fall down to the fifth-overall pick later next month, the highest odds for any individual pick number on the board, and that's exactly how it transpired.

It was four teams behind the Jazz managing to jump them in the lottery in the end, between the Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers, and Charlotte Hornets. It now unofficially takes Utah out of play for a top talent like Cooper Flagg, and perhaps other top names on the board like Dylan Harper.

However, the show still goes on for the Jazz and their long-winded rebuild. The stars didn't quite align to give Utah its fortune to kickstart this rebuild on its way up, and now might effectively set the timeline back a decent chunk without the services of a top-two pick in the fold as soon as next season.

But to call the lottery rigged? That might be a bit too far-fetched, even for those who got caught in-between the sights of misfortune on Monday night.

Jazz Could Make Franchise History With NBA Draft Lottery Win

This article first appeared on Utah Jazz on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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