Everyone was shocked when the Dallas Mavericks won the 2025 NBA draft lottery, no one more so that ESPN's studio crew.
The Mavericks entered the night with a 1.8% chance to landing the No. 1 pick in the draft and somehow pulled it off. Now they'll almost certainly select Duke forward Cooper Flagg in a few weeks to add to what now looks like a solid core.
The cameras were rolling as ESPN's Malika Andrews, Chiney Ogwumike and Brian Windhorst watched the drama unfold and then freaked out when the Mavs won.
Video of their reaction is below.
The NBA on ESPN studio crew of Malika Andrews, Chiney Ogwumike, and Brian Windhorst react to the Dallas Mavericks winning the NBA Draft Lottery/Cooper Flagg sweepstakes. 🏀🎙️ #NBA #NBADraft pic.twitter.com/1Q1ohBbqfI
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 12, 2025
That about sums up how everyone felt in that moment.
When the Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in February, many wrote off general manager Nico Harrison as crazy. Now that they've landed the No. 1 pick and the right to select Flagg, things look significantly better in Dallas.
The Mavericks can now build around Flagg, Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II and Kyrie Irving when he returns from a torn ACL. That's a pretty strong foundation to build from.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ESPN Studio Crew Had Priceless Reaction to Mavericks Winning NBA Draft Lottery.
