Shaq on the Orlando Magic
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It’s hard to believe the NBA Draft has actually ever been rigged to benefit a certain team, but there are plenty of basketball fans who think there’s some credence to that conspiracy theory. Now, Shaquille O’Neal has added even more fuel to the fire after recounting a conversation he had with David Stern before he was selected by the Magic.
The Dallas Mavericks only had a 1.8% chance to receive the top overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft based on where they ended up after cratering in the wake of the trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers, but they ultimately earned the right to scoop up Cooper Flagg in June after pulling off an upset at the lottery.
That development predictably led to the newest wave of accusations concerning the supposedly rigged nature of the NBA Draft thanks to fans who would tell you the league previously pulled off some shenanigans to ensure Patrick Ewing would end up in New York in 1985 and LeBron James would end up playing for his hometown team before the Cavaliers got him in 2003.
David Stern was the commissioner of the NBA when the lottery for those last two drafts was held, and he was routinely forced to deny those accusations while reminding the world he could have been charged with a felony if any evidence ever came to light to prove he and the league had essentially committed fraud.
With that said, Shaquille O’Neal certainly didn’t do much to help Stern and the NBA beat those allegations when he chimed in on the matter during a recent conversation with Ashley Nevel.
Shaq told me a story about David Stern and the NBA Draft… and now I’m questioning EVERYTHING😳
Full convo with Shaq drops this Saturday 👀⁰#NBADraft #Conspiracy #Shaq #DavidStern #NBA pic.twitter.com/lHAMUqkzxz
— Ashley Nevel (@AshleyNevel) May 15, 2025
Shaq recalled a chat he had with Stern after he wrapped up his time at LSU, saying:
“In 1992, the draft was in June. I meet Mr. Stern in March and he says to me, ‘Hey, I know who you are. Can’t wait for you to come to the NBA.’ Then he pulls me to the side [and says] ‘Do you want to play where it’s cold or where it’s hot?’
He asked me that—he did—and I was like, ‘Hot.’ He smiled and I smiled and a couple days later they had the [lottery] and Minnesota was number three, Charlotte was number two, and then Orlando, Florida was number one.
I didn’t think anything about it, but you hear a lot of these conspiracy theories, and there’s a lot of situations that could make these things sound good and sound true.”
If you’re curious, the Magic had the second-best odds to land the top pick in 1992 at 15.15% (the Timberwolves were the favorite at 16.67%), so while it was almost certainly just a coincidence, that’s definitely a pretty juicy revelation.