The San Antonio Spurs won the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery on Tuesday night putting them in prime position to draft French sensation Victor Wembanyama. However, Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow appears to believe that the entire draft lottery was rigged.
While it was a great night for the Spurs, it was not such a great time to be a Detroit Pistons fan. Detroit finished with the worst record in the NBA and had high hopes of potentially receiving the top overall pick in the draft.
That obviously didn’t happen, as they unfortunately fell all the way down to the No. 5 pick in the draft. This not only puts them out of the Wembanyama sweepstakes but also likely takes them out of the running for likely No. 2 pick Scoot Henderson.
This led to Stabenow to seriously question the process of the NBA Draft Lottery. She took to social media to declare that it “looked rigged” to her.
Looks rigged to me! https://t.co/VjppE2eP5X
— Sen. Debbie Stabenow (@SenStabenow) May 17, 2023
She didn’t exactly provide any evidence for this potentially being rigged against the Pistons. Regardless, other fans of the team also felt that way.
Detroit got screwed in the rigged NBA lottery once again, as the Pistons get the worst possible pick, No. 5 overall. https://t.co/emw5c4Nv5J
— Derick Hutchinson (@Derick_Hutch) May 17, 2023
NBA draft lottery, first time watching and it's rigged. Pistons get the #5 pick? Come on…
— Matt (@badjujumatt) May 17, 2023
The NBA Draft Lottery is rigged. There’s nothing anyone can say to convince me otherwise.
Zero chance the NBA was gonna let Wemby go to the Pistons, Hornets, Blazers, or Rockets.
— HogAnon (@anonhog) May 17, 2023
The NBA draft lottery is so obviously rigged. Not just because my Pistons AGAIN got the fifth pick, despite having better odds, but if it were a fair process they’d show the actual lottery – not just opening the envelopes.
— PETER BRAVESTRONG #FireMontyWilliams (@cynicalmatt) May 17, 2023
This is likely just Pistons fans upset with the outcome of the draft for their team. Regardless, this rumor sparks nearly every year because the actual drawing of the picks occurs hours before it is officially announced on television.
Unless the NBA decides to draw the picks live on television in the future, it is likely a rumor that will live on in NBA fandom for years to come.
