Philadelphia 76ers executive Daryl Morey embodied every Sixers fan while watching the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery.
No team had more on the line than Morey’s 76ers. The team entered Monday night with the fifth-best odds (10.5%) to win the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes. Philly had a 64% chance of ending up with the sixth pick or better, which was crucial given that the team’s first-round selection was only top-six protected. If two teams leapfrogged the 76ers, they would lose their pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum, as is customary, revealed the lottery results in reverse order from 14 to 1. Sixers fans’ worst fears initially came to life when the Dallas Mavericks (1.8%, 11th-best odds) and San Antonio Spurs (6.0%, 8th-best odds) moved up in the lottery. But Morey and the 76ers were bailed out because Philadelphia also moved into the top four.
The ESPN broadcast briefly showed Morey’s live reaction as results were being announced. The 52-year-old had his face buried into a table after his team caught a franchise-altering break in the lottery.
Caption this Daryl Morey photo 😆 pic.twitter.com/ZPomE37dz7
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 12, 2025
Both 76ers head coach Nick Nurse and general manager Elton Brand could not help but laugh as Morey went through the gamut of emotions.
Philadelphia’s 2024-25 season went so poorly that some 76ers players wanted to erase it from memory the moment it ended. The lottery pick was seen as the lone consolation prize following the team’s season from hell.
The 76ers were clear winners after Monday’s draft lottery. But no team was more blessed by the basketball gods than the Dallas Mavericks, which had NBA fans believing in a conspiracy after they won the lottery.
