The Dallas Mavericks lucked out and won the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft lottery earlier this week, but Mavericks coach Jason Kidd wasn't watching when it happened.
After the lottery, Kidd explained that he didn't have high hopes for the Mavericks given their recent string of luck. "You know, things just weren't going well for us," Kidd said candidly on the Dan Patrick Show.
"Wait you're not even watching the lottery?"
"You know, things just weren't going well for us." 😅
– Mavs HC @RealJasonKidd on how he found out the Mavericks had won the NBA Draft Lottery. pic.twitter.com/DTRys9Rdmd
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) May 15, 2025
"A lot of injuries, lot of injuries," Kidd continued. "I just thought we were gonna stay around 11. If not, go backwards just the way things were going for us this year. Incredible to get No. 1, everyone's excited."
Kidd also detailed to Patrick that he was at a board meeting in Newport Beach when the Mavericks received the No. 1 pick, and could not believe that the Mavericks actually got the top pick.
"I thought, well, we're probably going to fall backwards instead of going forwards," Kidd said. "My phone started to go crazy during the meeting. I kept texting the person back saying, 'Are you sure? You're missing a one.' Cause he goes, 'You're in the top four.' And I'm like '14.' He goes, 'No, you just got one.' And I go, 'you mean we stayed at 11.' Then my phone started going crazy."
Despite trading superstar Luka Doncic and then dealing with injuries to stars like Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis, the Mavericks have secured the top pick in the draft. They can now take Dukesensation Cooper Flagg, who is the consensus top prospect and widely viewed as a generational talent.
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