By Dorothy J. Gentry
Sports Editor
After a tumultuous season which saw the departure of beloved star Luka Doncic, massive injuries, calls for the GM’s firing and ultimately not making the playoffs, the Dallas Mavericks experienced a reversal of fortune Monday night.
The Mavs landed the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft in the televised NBA Draft Lottery. This is the first time in franchise history Dallas has moved up when in lottery position.
The Mavs follow the Dallas Wings who landed the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft. They drafted Paige Bueckers out of the University of Connecticut in last month’s draft.
Dallas entered the night in the 11th slot, and the Mavericks had a 1.80% chance of landing the No. 1 pick in the 2025 Draft, as well as an 8.50% chance at moving into one of the top four positions. This marks the second time that Dallas has held the first-overall selection, the first being in the second-ever draft in Mavericks franchise history in 1981 when the team selected Mark Aguirre out of DePaul.
Mavs Four-Time All-Star Rolando Blackman, the team’s vice president of corporate relations, represented the Mavs at the lottery.
The news marks a renewed hope for a franchise that went from being in the Finals less than a year ago to not making the playoffs and becoming the joke of the league after trading away generational talent Doncic.
NBA Draft 2025 presented by State Farm will take place June 25-26 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. Coverage on both nights will begin at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN.
Stay tuned to Texas Metro News for more on this developing story.
