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 ) /

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(Original Caption) College Park, Md.: Lonise Bias, mother of Len Bias, holds a Boston Celtics’ jersey given to her by Celtics’ president Red Auerbach during a memorial service at the Cole Field House. The former Maryland basketball star died early June 19th of an apparent cardiac arrest. /

1. Len Bias (1986)

Obviously there’s no shakeup more tragic, devastating, shocking, or massive than the death of Len Bias. It was an event that altered everything in the league at the time from the fate of the Boston Celtics as Larry Bird neared the end of his career to the NBA as a whole and how cocaine and that lifestyle was viewed in the eyes of professional athletes.

Bias was supposed to be the next superstar in the legacy of the Celtics when he was taken in the 1986 lottery with the No. 2 overall pick. That’s how talented he was during his college career at Maryland and everyone in Boston was pining for him to put on the Celtics green and take over. However, he never even made it to Boston as he died of cardiac arrest induced from cocaine overdose just two days after being drafted.

No one saw that coming in the NBA as fans or players and the argument could be made that nothing was the same after. Athletes realized their mortality for the most part and the pervasive cocaine use in the league died down a great deal after the death of Bias. Moreover, the Celtics’ dynasty ended sooner than it likely would have as Bird declined some five or six years later.

It’s still sad to this day to ponder on the passing of Bias and how much potential was lost. However, that harrowing moment is by far the most shocking moment from the NBA Lottery in the history of the league.

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