The lottery system is how the NBA determines the draft order for the teams that don’t make the playoffs. It only determines the first 14 picks of the draft and has no impact on the second round. The first four picks are determined by the lottery, and picks 5-14 are determined by the reverse standings of whoever is left.

Monday's draft lottery result caused a stir in the NBA world, with some fans questioning whether the league intentionally rewarded the Mavericks with the top pick.

The first lottery system involved the random drawing of an envelope from a hopper with each envelope having a team's name on it. Each team in the lottery therefore had the same odds of landing the top slection. The New York Knicks were the winners of the first lottery in 1985 and subsequently drafted Patrick Ewing with the first selection.