LeBron James Blasted by Adam Silver for Claiming NBA Draft Was Rigged

LeBron James is under fire for his recent comments on the NBA Draft. Months after dealing Luka Doncic, the Dallas Mavericks had a 1.8% chance of winning the top overall choice in the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery, which shocked many who believed the lottery was rigged. Adam Silver answers now.

Following the Slovenian’s significant trade to the Crypto.com Arena, the surprising win instantly sparked a flood of rumors and charges that the lottery might be rigged, with even LeBron James making fun of it.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, right, holds the ball as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

The NBA Commissioner, however, has now taken firm steps to allay concerns by upholding the integrity and legitimacy of the lottery and rejecting the conspiracy theories as baseless.

Adam Silver dismisses LeBron James’ claim that the NBA Draft is being rigged

Silver stated on FS1’s Breakfast Ball that the draft lottery’s fundamental goal is to deter teams from purposefully dropping games to boost their draft positioning: “When people say, therefore, that the lottery is broken, I have a different viewpoint, which the purpose of the lottery is to disincentivize teams from tanking,”

On behalf of the Mavericks, Silver added: “Here, you had a team that was clearly trying,” 

“Whatever people think of that [Doncic trade], they were trying to win.

“Then Kyrie got injured, then Anthony Davis got injured, and so then they found themselves in the lottery. Odds are odds, and that’s how it turned out.”

Dallas joined a select few unlikely winners by becoming just the fourth team in NBA history to win the draft lottery with odds less than two percent.

Their triumph gives them the opportunity to choose Cooper Flagg of Duke, who is considered by many to be one of the most promising prospects in recent history. Is it a coincidence? As far as NBA fans are concerned, the verdict is still out.

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