Before Cooper Flagg, There Was Orlando Magic Winning Shaquille Lottery in 1992

Jun 27, 2013; Brooklyn, NY, USA; NBA commissioner David Stern speaks after the first round of the 2013 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

In 1992-93, the Orlando Magic defied the odds to become back-to-back NBA draft lottery winners. Recently, Bleacher Report ranked the Magic as the luckiest winner in lottery history.

"Back then, there were only 11 teams in the lottery, so the system was different. The team with the worst record had 11 chances of winning the No. 1 pick, the team with the second-worst record had 10 chances, so on and so forth. That meant the Magic had only a 1-in-66 chance of winning the No. 1 overall pick in 1993," Bleacher Report wrote. "The Magic defied those odds and became the luckiest lottery winner in NBA history, still to this day. With fellow big man Chris Webber atop that year's draft class, the Magic traded the No. 1 pick to the Golden State Warriors for No. 3 pick Penny Hardaway along with three future first-rounders."

"As a response to the Magic winning the 1993 lottery, the NBA overhauled the lottery to more closely resemble the system we have today," it added.

Former Orlando Magic big man Shaquille O'Neal recently addressed the idea of a rigged lottery after the Dallas Mavericks secured the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft.

"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."'

"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," O'Neal added.

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