The Orlando Magic on Tuesday won the NBA draft lottery and landed the No. 1 overall pick for the first time since they got Dwight Howard in 2004.
It is the fourth time that lottery luck has struck for the Magic, who won back-to-back years in 1992 and 1993, taking Shaquille O’Neal and then trading the rights to Chris Webber for Penny Hardaway.
Orlando finished with the worst record in the Eastern Conference at 22-60 and missed the playoffs for the eighth time in 10 years.
Photo: David Banks-USA TODAY
However, they got a huge win in the lottery, where they had a 14 percent chance to land the top pick.
“It feels great,” Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said.
“I’m so happy for our fans. They really stuck with us. And nights like this help, where you can really show the fruits of why you go through these phases and these cycles. And hopefully, they’re really excited by this,” Weltman added.
The college players most widely considered to be likely first-pick candidates are: Paolo Banchero of the Duke Blue Devils, Chet Holmgren of the Gonzaga Bulldogs, Jaden Ivey of the Purdue Boilermakers and Jabari Smith of the Auburn Tigers.
The draft is scheduled for June 23 in New York.
Oklahoma City got the second pick, followed by the Houston Rockets and the Sacramento Kings.
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