I asked ChatGPT to provide a breakdown of the NBA Draft winners of the last 35 years.
Year | Team | Odds (%) | Player Selected |
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2025 | Dallas Mavericks | 1.8 | TBD |
2024 | Atlanta Hawks | 3.0 | Zaccharie Risacher |
2023 | San Antonio Spurs | 14.0 | Victor Wembanyama |
2022 | Orlando Magic | 14.0 | Paolo Banchero |
2021 | Detroit Pistons | 14.0 | Cade Cunningham |
2020 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 14.0 | Anthony Edwards |
2019 | New Orleans Pelicans | 6.0 | Zion Williamson |
2018 | Phoenix Suns | 25.0 | Deandre Ayton |
2017 | Philadelphia 76ers | 25.0 | Markelle Fultz |
2016 | Philadelphia 76ers | 25.0 | Ben Simmons |
2015 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 25.0 | Karl-Anthony Towns |
2014 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 1.7 | Andrew Wiggins |
2013 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 15.6 | Anthony Bennett |
2012 | New Orleans Hornets | 13.7 | Anthony Davis |
2011 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 19.9 | Kyrie Irving |
2010 | Washington Wizards | 10.3 | John Wall |
2009 | Los Angeles Clippers | 17.7 | Blake Griffin |
2008 | Chicago Bulls | 1.7 | Derrick Rose |
2007 | Portland Trail Blazers | 5.3 | Greg Oden |
2006 | Toronto Raptors | 8.8 | Andrea Bargnani |
2005 | Milwaukee Bucks | 6.3 | Andrew Bogut |
2004 | Orlando Magic | 25.0 | Dwight Howard |
2003 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 22.5 | LeBron James |
2002 | Houston Rockets | 8.9 | Yao Ming |
2001 | Washington Wizards | 15.7 | Kwame Brown |
2000 | New Jersey Nets | 4.4 | Kenyon Martin |
1999 | Chicago Bulls | 15.6 | Elton Brand |
1998 | Los Angeles Clippers | 22.5 | Michael Olowokandi |
1997 | San Antonio Spurs | 21.6 | Tim Duncan |
1996 | Philadelphia 76ers | 9.4 | Allen Iverson |
1995 | Golden State Warriors | 9.4 | Joe Smith |
1994 | Milwaukee Bucks | 16.7 | Glenn Robinson |
1993 | Orlando Magic | 1.5 | Chris Webber |
1992 | Orlando Magic | 15.2 | Shaquille O'Neal |
1991 | Charlotte Hornets | 11.9 | Larry Johnson |
1990 | New Jersey Nets | 11.9 | Derrick Coleman |
Those 1% odd winners are in most cases NBA board engineering franchises. It was normal in the early 90s after the massive expansion from 1989. Shaquille O'Neal became a huge star and instant success, I could understand the Orlando Magic given the boost. In just 3 years they reached the NBA finals in 1995, lost to Houston Rockets. 2003 LeBron was clear where he's heading. It wasn't the Toronto Raptors.
Derrick Rose was a huge hype, a Chicago local and drafted by the Chicago Bulls was lightning strike twice. Then Cleveland post-LeBron, Kyrie and Bennett were fair draw as Cavs sucked, but Andrew Wiggins was "luck". So much luck that LeBron told Pat Riley: "Next year I'm taking my talents back to Forest City".
No point in discussing Sixers back to back to back tanking to get draft picks.
Now another iceberg, might even call it the butterfly effect - in 2012 NO Hornets (future Pelicans) were awarded Anthony Davis in compensation for the Chris Paul shitfuckery. 7 years later LeBron lured Davis to demand trade and as a result joined him at the Lakers. The deal was piss poor for Pelicans who got some bunch of average inexperienced players like Lonzo Ball. Sounds familiar, right? Guess what? The biggest hype since LeBron, Zion Williamson got drafted by the Pelicans that same year. But NBA didn't take into account Zion's reluctance to play for the Pelicans. The New York Knicks tanked so bad they were dead last in Eastern Conference just to get Zion. It would have been a story for the ages, but no LeBron needed help at the Lakers. In a way this Lakers - Pelicans deal led to Zion's obesity and lack of fitness that ended his career.