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NBA

Who won the NBA Draft Lottery in the past years and who did they pick?

The 14 worst NBA teams will be joining the draft lottery for a chance to acquire the top pick. Who has won the lottery in the past and whom did they choose?

Gidget Alikpala
Update:
The 14 worst NBA teams will be joining the draft lottery for a chance to acquire the top pick. Who has won the lottery in the past and whom did they choose?
AFP

The NBA lottery system has been around for a few decades, giving the 14 teams who failed to make the playoffs a chance to get the most promising players and improve their standings in the next season.

From coins to ping pong balls

The lottery is an update from the system that the NBA used to have to determine who got the No.1 draft pick. From 1966 to 1984, the league flipped a coin to decide which team with the worst record in each conference would get first choice.

In 1985, the NBA implemented the lottery system, which expanded the field to include all non-playoff teams, and not just the biggest loser per conference. In this system, numbers are drawn using ping pong balls, which are assigned numbers one to fourteen.

More on how the NBA draft lottery works here.

If you look at the list of the players who were chosen first in the NBA draft, you can see some big names that have already carved their name in NBA history, while others have made less of a mark.

The 2022 NBA draft lottery will take place Tuesday, May 17, at 8:00 p.m. ET / 5 p.m PT.

Here is the list of teams who won past raffles, and whom they chose as the No.1 draft pick.

List of No.1 overall picks in the NBA draft

YEARTEAMSELECTION
2021PistonsCade Cunningham
2020TimberwolvesAnthony Edwards
2019PelicansZion Williamson
2018SunsDeandre Ayton
201776ers (via Celtics)Markelle Fultz
201676ersBen Simmons
2015TimberwolvesKarl-Anthony Towns
2014CavaliersAndrew Wiggins
2013CavaliersAnthony Bennett
2012HornetsAnthony Davis
2011Cavaliers (via Clippers)Kyrie Irving
2010WizardsJohn Wall
2009ClippersBlake Griffin
2008BullsDerrick Rose
2007Trail BlazersGreg Oden
2006RaptorsAndrea Bargnani
2005BucksAndrew Bogut
2004MagicDwight Howard
2003CavaliersLeBron James
2002RocketsYao Ming
2001WizardsKwame Brown
2000NetsKenyon Martin
1999BullsElton Brand
1998ClippersMichael Olowakandi
1997SpursTim Duncan
199676ersAllen Iverson
1995WarriorsJoe Smith
1994BucksGlenn Robinson
1993MagicChris Webber
1992MagicShaquille O’Neal
1991HornetsLarry Johnson
1990NetsDerrick Coleman
1989KingsPervis Ellison
1988ClippersDanny Manning
1987SpursDavid Robinson
1986Cavaliers (via 76ers)Brad Daugherty
1985KnicksPatrick Ewing