While some fans are still focusing on the NBA playoffs, the harsh reality is that most teams are already out of contention to win the championship. Clippers, Suns, Hawks, and Bucksare the only teams still standing.
But, for those fans of the 14 teams that failed to qualify for the postseason, the offseason has already begun, as the 2021 NBA Draft Lottery is expected to take place today, June 22, at 8:30 pm (ET).
The NBA Draft Lottery is the first step ahead of the upcoming NBA Draft. So, if you’re one ofthose fans still wondering what does this has to do with the league or how does it work, we got you covered.
What Is The NBA Draft Lottery?
The NBA Draft Lottery is when the 14 teams that failed to make the playoffs gather to see the order in which they’ll get to select young players coming out of college, the G-League, or overseas to sign rookie contracts with them.
How Does The NBA Draft Lottery Work?
(Transcript via NBA)
“Drawings will be conducted to determine the first four picks in the NBA Draft. The remainder of the “lottery teams” will select in positions five through 14 in inverse order of their 2020-21 regular-season records…
Fourteen ping-pong balls numbered 1 through 14 will be placed in a lottery machine. There are 1,001 possible combinations when four balls are drawn out of 14, without regard to their order of selection. Before the lottery, 1,000 of those 1,001 combinations will be assigned to the 14 participating lottery teams.
The drawing process occurs in the following manner: All 14 balls are placed in the lottery machine and they are mixed for 20 seconds, and then the first ball is removed. The remaining balls are mixed in the lottery machine for another 10 seconds, and then the second ball is drawn. There is a 10-second mix, and then the third ball is drawn. There is a 10-second mix, and then the fourth ball is drawn. The team that has been assigned that combination will receive the No. 1 pick. The same process is repeated with the same ping-pong balls and lottery machine for the second through fourth picks.
If the same team comes up more than once, the result is discarded and another four-ball combination is selected. Also, if the one unassigned combination is drawn, the result is discarded and the balls are drawn again. The length of time the balls are mixed is monitored by a timekeeper who faces away from the machine and signals the machine operator after the appropriate amount of time has elapsed.”
