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On May 12, 1985, the history of the New York Knicks was forever changed after the organization won the first-ever NBA Draft Lottery and the right to draft Patrick Ewing with the No. 1 overall pick.
Ewing was easily regarded as the top player in the draft after an incredible run at Georgetown.
Led by Ewing, the Hoyas won the national championship in 1984 as he helped Georgetown reach the NCAA Tournament in each of his four years in college. He finished as a three-time All-American and was named the National College Player of the Year in 1984.
As Ewing was coming out of college, the NBA instituted the draft lottery beginning in the summer of 1985. The NBA wanted to prevent teams from intentionally losing in order to secure the top pick, which, of course, still happens today.
The 1985 NBA Draft Lottery featured the seven non-playoff teams from the previous year. Each team in the lottery had the same chance to win as NBA commissioner David Stern chose envelopes randomly. The Knicks eventually earned the top pick after beating out the Indiana Pacers.
Winning the first-ever Draft Lottery was the single biggest thing for teams.
Ewing was viewed as a franchise-changing prospect, which ultimately proved to be true given his Hall of Fame career. The Knicks immediately sold thousands of new season tickets upon winning the lottery and it is said that Spike Lee first got his season tickets after the Knicks got Ewing.
Over the years, many still believe that the Draft Lottery was rigged by the NBA to ensure the Knicks landed Ewing. Some conspiracy theories have that the Knicks’ envelope was frozen so it would easily be chosen by Stern while another theory was the corner of the envelope was creased.
Of course, the Draft Lottery has since been tweaked and changed over the years in an attempt to eliminate tanking as much as possible. Now, the three teams with the worst records each receive a 14% chance of landing the top pick.
Ewing went onto win the 1986 NBA Rookie of the Year award after averaging 20 points, nine rebounds, 2.1 blocks, two assists and 1.1 steals in 50 games played.
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