2008 NBA Draft Lottery Primer
The 2008 NBA Draft Lottery will be held on Tuesday, May 20th, 2008, with the results revealed at halftime of a playoff game that night between 8PM and 8:30PM EST on ESPN. The lottery is comprised of 14 numbered ping pong balls in a lottery machine, capable of 1,001 four-number combinations. 1,000 of these are assigned to the 14 teams in the lottery, with percentages based on records and utilizing various tie-breakers. At around 7PM EST, the four-ball combinations for the first three picks are made by a third party accountant. One representative from each of the teams is allowed to be present, while another must wait in the TV studio for the results. After the first three picks are selected using the lottery system, the remaining picks are assigned in accordance with record. Here are the number of four-ball combinations for each team and the corresponding odds for obtaining the first three picks.
| Team | Chances | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
| Miami Heat | 250.00 | 0.25 | 0.22 | 0.18 |
| Seattle SuperSonics | 199.00 | 0.20 | 0.19 | 0.17 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 138.00 | 0.14 | 0.14 | 0.15 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 137.00 | 0.14 | 0.14 | 0.15 |
| New York Knicks | 76.00 | 0.08 | 0.08 | 0.10 |
| Los Angeles Clippers | 75.00 | 0.08 | 0.08 | 0.09 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 43.00 | 0.04 | 0.05 | 0.06 |
| Charlotte Bobcats | 28.00 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.04 |
| Chicago Bulls | 17.00 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 |
| New Jersey Nets | 11.00 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.02 |
| Indiana Pacers | 8.00 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 |
| Sacramento Kings | 7.00 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 6.00 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 |
| Golden State Warriors | 5.00 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 |
The following are known representatives for various lottery teams.
1. Miami Heat: Dwyane Wade
2. "Seattle" SuperSonics: Kevin Durant
7. Milwaukee Bucks: GM John Hammond will be in the studio and new Director of Basketball Operations, Jon Horst will be their representative at the actual drawing.
10.New Jersey Nets: Jay-Z, or as I like call him, HOVA.
12. Sacramento Kings: Season ticket holder and superfan mom, Margie Parilo
The lowest pick ever to obtain the number 1 overall pick was the 2000 New Jersey Nets, who finished 7th worst.
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