Shaquille O'Neal Feeds Into Cooper Flagg, NBA Lottery Rigging Theory

Shandel Richardson | May 16, 2025

Jun 6, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Shaquille O'Neal looks on before the game between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks in game one of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks winning the NBA draft lottery recently brought out all the conspiracy theorists. Many felt the league had something to do with the Mavericks awarded the right to select Cooper Flagg at No. 1, especially after trading away Luke Doncic at midseason to the Los Angeles Lakers. Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal recently fed into the idea of the lottery being rigged.

He spoke about his draft year on a podcast with Ashley Nevel.

"In 1992, I believe the draft was in June or something," O'Neal said. "I meet [commissioner David Stern] in March. He says to me, `Hey, I know who you are. I can't wait until you come to the NBA.' Then he pulls me aside, `You want to play where it's cold or where it's hot."'

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O'Neal, the projected No. 1 pick, thought back to that conversation when the lottery spots were announced. He was selected by the Orlando Magic.

"A couple of days later, they had the draft," O'Neal said. "The top three picks, Minnesota was No. 3, Charlotte was No. 2 and Orlando, Florida was No. 1. I didn't think anything about it but you hear a lot of these conspiracy theories. There's a lot of situations that can make these things sound good ... It's very interested how it all played out."

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