Most Shocking NBA Lottery shakeups of all-time
![Basketball: NBA Draft Lottery: NBA Commissioner David Stern holding up the envelope with the number one pick in the draft at Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Number one pick goes to the New York Knicks.New York, NY 5/12/1985CREDIT: George Tiedemann (Photo by George Tiedemann /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images)(Set Number: X31488 TK1 R1 F8 ) Basketball: NBA Draft Lottery: NBA Commissioner David Stern holding up the envelope with the number one pick in the draft at Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Number one pick goes to the New York Knicks.New York, NY 5/12/1985CREDIT: George Tiedemann (Photo by George Tiedemann /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images)(Set Number: X31488 TK1 R1 F8 )](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/c545307b8cd82a9161296fd42aeea5c23d19213fbce7c4d828327acbd93ab67b.jpg)
6. Cavaliers Get No. 1 Pick Three Out of Four Years (2011-14)
Cleveland is without a doubt one of the most tortured cities in the United States (and the world for that matter) when it comes to sport. That emphatically includes the Cleveland Cavaliers, even if they have their eyes on a title after the return of LeBron James. However, that doesn’t mean that they weren’t part of some shocking lottery moments in LeBron’s absence, most notably including winning the NBA Lottery three out of four years.
It all started in the 2011 NBA Draft when the Los Angeles Clippers owed the Cavaliers their first round pick. Despite having just the eighth best odds at the top pick, the Clips won the lottery and thus gave the Cavaliers the top selection to pick Kyrie Irving with.
New Orleans won in 2012 to pick Anthony Davis, but the Cavaliers would then go 2-2 in 2013 and 2014 as they won with the third best odds in the first year and then out of nowhere with the ninth best odds in 2014. They used the 2013 pick to take Anthony Bennett (we’ll get there too) and then used the 2014 selection to nab Andrew Wiggins who they parlayed into trading for Kevin Love.
Though there have been crazy runs before, seeing the Cavaliers make a run like that with the top pick is truly absurd.
Next: No. 5 76ers Trade Top Pick for Roy Hinson