Bucks ship custom ping pong balls to fans in anticipation of NBA Draft Lottery

The Bucks are sending fans custom ping pong balls in promotion of the upcoming NBA Draft Lottery. (@jenny_slota)

It's hard being a fan of a losing team, particularly during the postseason. Every defining win and electric moment is a reminder of all that your team can't have. All the talk of strategy and big-time performers is mirrored cruelly by debate over rebuilding options and mock drafts. There are months to come without any games to play whatsoever, leaving fans with little to do but consider the gap between their team's lowly performance this season and the crowning achievement of June's NBA Finals.

The only consolation is hope, which provides the very foundation of the upcoming NBA Draft. To encourage their fans to keep looking toward the future instead of dwelling on the disappointing present, the Bucks -- who posted the worst record in the league this season at 15-67 -- are sending select fans a custom-branded ping pong ball to promote the upcoming NBA Draft Lottery. Along with the ball comes a card reading "OWN THE FUTURE. WIN THE LOTTERY."

Milwaukee will have a 25 percent chance of winning the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 draft and can do no worse than the No. 4 overall pick. In addition to the aforementioned promotion, the Bucks have encouraged fans to submit a picture of their own personal good luck charm with the hashtag #BucksLuck on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. A winner chosen from those submissions will win two full season tickets and an autographed hat from the Bucks' pick-to-be -- not a bad consolation prize after a difficult season.

The NBA Draft Lottery will be held on Thursday, May 20.

H/T: Eric Buenning