Up until ESPN took over, the NBA’s lottery took place on a weekend. Up until 2002, when the Rockets won the right to draft Yao Ming midway through a Boston Celtics/New Jersey Nets Eastern finals tilt, the drawing was shoved within the sort of space that suited it — 15 minutes of draft gab in between actual basketball.
The 1986 NBA draft lottery
The 1986 NBA draft lottery
The 1986 NBA draft lottery
Up until ESPN took over, the NBA’s lottery took place on a weekend. Up until 2002, when the Rockets won the right to draft Yao Ming midway through a Boston Celtics/New Jersey Nets Eastern finals tilt, the drawing was shoved within the sort of space that suited it — 15 minutes of draft gab in between actual basketball.