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.

The Dallas Mavericks — the franchise that spent the last four months of this season in ignominy after it traded away Luka Dončić — had won the 2025 draft lottery.

Fast-forward to draft night and the sun started shining on them.