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Prior to the NBA Draft Lottery on May 18, 2010, the New Jersey Nets had the highest chance of winning the No. 1 overall pick after posting the worst record during the 2009-10 season.
The ping pong balls did not fall in the Nets’ favor that year as the Washington Wizards would come out with the top selection. The Wizards, who moved up from the No. 5 spot, had just a 10.3% chance of winning the lottery after posting a 26-56 record the previous season.
Of course, the Wizards used the No. 1 pick to draft John Wall from the University of Kentucky. In addition to Wall, Evan Turner from Ohio State was also considered to be a possible selection with the top pick after earning Player of the Year honors.
As Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington covered in an oral history of the NBA Draft Lottery, Wall thought at the time he would end up with the Nets since they had the best chance of winning.
“Everybody kept saying, ‘You’re going to New Jersey, you’re going to New Jersey’ because they had the worst record at the time,” Wall said. “I’m like, ‘Okay, New Jersey is cool, I’m fine with that.’ … They showed one team got a pick and that meant Washington had jumped into the top three.
I was like, ‘Oh man, this is where my dad was from so it might be interesting here.’ I feel like when a team jumps up like that they are already going to get the No. 1 pick. So, in my mind, I’m like Washington is where I’m about to be. … I’m like, ‘Alright, I’m going to D.C.’ Nation’s capital, what more could I ask for? … It was shocking to me. I was like, ‘Damn, I thought I was going to New Jersey’ because that’s what everybody kept saying. Worst team, worst team gets the No. 1 pick, worst team gets the No. 1 pick.
The Wizards organization was ecstatic to land Wall through the lottery.
He would go on to be named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team and has since become a five-time NBA All-Star. Wall has dealt with several injuries over his time in the league and it has caused many to wonder what he could have accomplished had he been able to stay healthy.
Wall is currently coming off of an Achilles injury and has not played since Dec. 26, 2018. He is shooting again and doing other work on the court but is not expected to play this season with the extended break due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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