Behind the scenes of the NBA draft lottery: What happens in the room where ping-pong balls determine teams’ futures

The draft lottery is one of the most consequential days of the NBA calendar, potentially determining the next decade or more of a team’s fortunes.

CHICAGO — The draft lottery is one of the most consequential days of the NBA calendar, potentially determining the next decade or more of a team’s fortunes. Under a cloak of secrecy, NBC News was one of the select media outlets allowed into the drawing room Sunday for a behind-the-scenes look at how it all went down.

Subscribe to read this story ad-free

Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.

Just a moment.

We are getting your experience ready.