May 12, 2025

A Sixers fan's guide to watching the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery

Consider this your guide for watching Monday night's 2025 NBA Draft Lottery like a pro.

By Adam Aaronson
PhillyVoice Staff

Patrick Gorski/Imagn Images

There is a lot at stake for the Sixers during Monday night's 2025 NBA Draft Lottery.

The day everyone has been waiting for is finally here.

In a matter of hours the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery will begin, and the Sixers will finally find out whether or not they will enter June with a first-round pick in the top six or without a first-round pick at all. There is a 64.0 percent chance the Sixers keep their first-rounder, with a 36.0 percent chance the selection falls out of its protected range and conveys to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

This is undoubtedly going to be a stressful watch for Sixers fans, the likes of which they have not experienced in quite a long time. For anyone who would not consider themselves an expert on watching the lottery — first of all, congratulations — here is a guide to understanding what is going on as it happens and how it impacts the Sixers:

Have the pre-lottery standings in front of you — in reverse order

For whatever reason, ESPN's lottery broadcast format has for the last several years not included a graphic indicating which teams are expected to land in each slot as Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum unveils the picks in reverse order. It used to be abundantly clear when there was significant movement, but now the viewer is reliant on it quickly being pointed out by a panel host.

There is more work to be done, but the very first thing you need to do is have this in front of you — maybe bookmark this story and open it back up at 7:00 p.m. on the East Coast!

Pre-lottery position	Team
14	San Antonio Spurs (via Atlanta Hawks)
13	Atlanta Hawks (via Sacramento Kings)
12	Chicago Bulls
11	Dallas Mavericks
10	Portland Trail Blazers
9	Houston Rockets (via Phoenix Suns)
8	San Antonio Spurs
7	Toronto Raptors
6	Brooklyn Nets
5	Philadelphia 76ers
4	New Orleans Pelicans
3	Charlotte Hornets
2	Washington Wizards
1	Utah Jazz

Once the next step is complete, having this order in front of you will do wonders.

Understand how the lottery drawing system works

Every slot in the lottery offers a team the chance to jump into the top slot, but every team has a limited spectrum of potential outcomes — it is not as if any team can end up with any pick between No. 1 and No. 14How it actually works: the NBA draws the lottery for the No. 1 pick, then draws for No. 2, then draws for No. 3, then draws for No. 4. After the top four picks have been assigned, the order from No. 5 until No. 14 is determined by regular season record (worst to best). For example, if the first four picks were awarded to Toronto, San Antonio, Brooklyn and Utah, the No. 5 pick would belong to Washington with Charlotte picking at No. 6, New Orleans picking at No. 7, the Sixers' pick falling to No. 8 and conveying to Oklahoma City, and so on.

The important thing to remember: the only way the Sixers can lose their pick is if they do not jump into the top four AND two of the teams positioned between No. 6 and No. 14 in the pre-lottery standings do jump into the top four.

So, as Tatum unveils picks No. 14 through No. 5 prior to the infamous commercial break, Sixers fans should be rooting for absolutely no chaos or movement of any kind — San Antonio at No. 14, Atlanta at No. 13, Chicago at No. 12, Dallas at No. 11 and so on. If the actual order begins to deviate from that early on, the Sixers are at risk. The more things stay in accordance with the status quo, the better for the Sixers.

MORE: Jared McCain representing Sixers on stage

Look at the logos, not the words

Speaking of Tatum and the backwards unveiling of the lottery order, I have received quite a few questions about what the card itself will look like depending on whether or not the Sixers keep their pick. Here you go:

• If you see a card with a Sixers logo, they have kept their pick.

• If you see a card with a Thunder logo and the words "From Philadelphia 76ers" below it, the Sixers have lost their pick.

I promise, it is exactly that simple.

Do not worry about the lottery being rigged

I know it is tempting. I understand the conspiracy theories are out there. I know the story of the Patrick Ewing lottery. But I promise you, in 2025 the NBA is not rigging its lottery. In addition to the major legal components in place to ensure the integrity of the process, each team has a high-ranking executive present for the drawing that happens before Tatum reveals the results to everyone else on stage. That drawing is recorded and in recent years has been uploaded by the NBA on its YouTube channel almost immediately after the show takes place.

MORE: Final pre-lottery mock draft roundup

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