Tonight, representatives of the NBA's non-playoff teams gather in a television studio in Secaucus. N.J., for the annual NBA Draft Lottery.
The Bucks have won the first overall pick just twice in the lottery's history, moving up from fourth in 1994 and from sixth in 2005. Those top picks were used on Glenn Robinson and Andrew Bogut, respectively.
Milwaukee went 35-47 this year and heading into the lottery, the Bucks hold the 10th overall pick. They have a 1.1 percent chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick, a 1.3 percent chance of the No. 2 and a 1.58 percent chance of No. 3. They could also fall into the 11th (8.87 percent), 12th (0.18 percent) or 13th (0.1 percent) slots.
General Manager John Hammond will take part in the selection show tonight, which will air at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
The current lottery system, installed in 1994, uses 14 numbered ping-pong balls. One thousand different four-digit combinations are assigned to the 13 non-playoff teams. The first combination selected determines the No, 1 pick and the process is repeated to determine the second and third picks.
Prior to that, each team received one chance per their order of finish during the regular season. For example, the worst of the 11 non-playoff teams would receive 11 chances while the team with the best record among non-playoff teams would receive one chance.
The Draft Lottery was established in 1985 to prevent the practice of tanking games at the end of a season. All lottery teams were selected for the first two years until just the first three picks became lottery selections in 1987.
Prior to '85, teams drafted in the reverse-order of their record, but a coin flip between the two worst teams in each division would determine who received the first overall pick – which is how the Bucks won the right to select Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1969.
NBA Draft Lottery results
(Since 1994)
1994 – Milwaukee Bucks (Dallas Mavericks, worst record)
1995 – Golden State Warriors (L.A. Clippers)
1996 – Philadelphia 76ers (Vancouver Grizzlies)*
1997 – San Antonio Spurs (Vancouver Grizzlies)*
1998 – L.A. Clippers (Denver Nuggets)
1999 – Chicago Bulls (Vancouver Grizzlies)
2000 – New Jersey Nets (L.A. Clippers)
2001 – Washington Wizards (Chicago Bulls)
2002 – Houston Rockets (Golden State Warriors/Chicago Bulls)
2003 – Cleveland Cavaliers (Cleveland Cavaliers)
2004 – Orlando Magic (Orlando Magic)
2005 – Milwaukee Bucks (Atlanta Hawks)
2006 – Toronto Raptors (Portland Trail Blazers)
2007 – Portland Trail Blazers (Memphis Grizzlies)
2008 – Chicago Bulls (Miami Heat)
2009 – L.A. Clippers (Sacramento Kings)
2010 – Washington Wizards (New Jersey Nets)
* – As part of their expansion agreement, Vancouver and Toronto were not eligible to win the No. 1 choice in 1996 or '97.
