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)
4. Cavaliers Take Anthony Bennett No. 1 Overall (2013)
I told you we’d get to this moment sooner rather than later.
After winning the No. 1 overall pick in the draft for the second year out of three years, the Cleveland Cavaliers definitely had an interesting decision on their plate in 2013. Nerlens Noel out of Kentucky was the consensus No. 1 overall pick until he blew out his knee in his one season in college, which threw everything up in the air throughout the draft. However, they made an incredibly bold decision with that top pick and one that was immediately questioned because of how crazy it was.
With the first pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, the Cavs took Anthony Bennett out of UNLV. This wasn’t like taking a second-round prospect with the top pick in the draft as Bennett was considered a lottery pick without a doubt. However, Bennett was a player that was never seriously considered as the top overall pick. So to see Cleveland pull the trigger on taking him with the first overall pick was unreal.
Bill Simmons quantified how surprising the moment was and how much it shook things up on the ESPN broadcast with his audible expression of shock at the pick. As it turns out, the risk didn’t pay off as Bennett was horrible for the Cavs and dealt not even two seasons after being taken with No. 1. Even still, it was a crazy, crazy move by Cleveland to make the selection.
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