The Warriors played a cruel prank on new Lakers coach Luke Walton

Warriors assistant Luke Walton, who was recently hired as the Lakers’ next head coach, was the victim of a cruel prank on Tuesday night.

Golden State’s lead PR man, Raymond Ridder, told Walton that the Lakers had drawn the No. 4 pick in the NBA draft lottery, and Walton totally believed him. Now, this would have had Luke down in the dumps, because his Lakers had the second-best odds at the No. 1 pick, meaning that they were likely to draw No. 2. And anything outside of the top 3 would have meant that Los Angeles lost its pick to the Celtics.

Well, as it turns out, L.A. did, indeed, draw the No. 2 pick, and did not lose it. So the joke’s on Ridder!

Before lottery, Warriors PR czar Raymond Ridder texted Luke Walton that Lakers got 4th pick. Luke fell for the prank, now has last laugh.
— Bill Oram (@billoram) May 18, 2016

The Warriors’ PR staff is widely considered the league’s best, and this is a clear example of its excellence.

– Kenny Ducey