After a season where they almost broke their own record for most losses, the Philadelphia 76ers have come out on top at the NBA draft lottery, claiming the number one pick.
The 76ers ended the season with just ten wins and a massive 72 losses, having tanking accusations thrown at them, and entered the lottery with a 29.6 per cent chance of getting the top pick.
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In fact, it looked like the only thing that would stop them would be the Los Angeles Lakers getting a pick outside the top three, who would then have to swap with Philly. But with the Lakers holding a 55.8 per cent chance of a top-three pick, that was less than likely.
Incredibly, there were no changes in the lottery picks from the chances assigned to each team beforehand, with the Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves rounding out the top five.
It begins to clear up the playing situation for Australia Ben Simmons, who after being touted as the number one pick fell away a fraction towards the end of the college season, but is still thought to be locked in a two-way battle with Brandon Ingram.
The decision to take Simmons or Ingram now comes down to the 76ers, with the Lakers likely to take the other.
Philadelphia are currently coached by former Australian Boomers coach Brett Brown, who said he was thrilled for the city, and implored fans to stay strong as they continued the rebuilding phase.
The NBA draft will be held in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center on June 23 at 8pm (local time), June 24 at 10am (AEST).
First round
1. Philadelphia 76ers
2. Los Angeles Lakers
3. Boston Celtics
4. Phoenix Suns
5. Minnesota Timberwolves
6. New Orleans Pelicans
7. Denver Nuggets
8. Sacramento Kings
9. Toronto Raptors
10. Milwaukee Bucks
11. Orlando Magic
12. Utah Jazz
13. Phoenix Suns
14. Chicago Bulls
15. DenverNuggets
16. Boston Celtics
17. Memphis Grizzlies
18. Detroit Piston
19. Denver Nuggets
20. Indiana Pacers
21. Atlanta Hawks
22. Charlotte Hornets
23. Boston Celtics
24. Philadelphia 76ers
25. Los Angeles Clippers
26. Philadelphia 76ers
27. Toronto Raptors
28. Phoenix Suns
29. San Antonio Spurs
30. Golden State Warriors
Second round
31. Boston Celtics
32. Los Angeles Lakers
33. Los Angeles Clippers
34. Phoenix Suns
35. Boston Celtics
36. Milwaukee Bucks
37. Houston Rockets
38. Mailwaukee Bucks
39. New Orleans Pelicans
40. New Orleans Pelicans
41. Orlando Magic
42. Utah Jazz
43. Houston Rockets
44. Atlanta Hawks
45. Boston Celtics
46. Dallas Mavericks
47. Orlando Magic
48. Chicago Bulls
49. Detroit Pistons
50. Indiana Pacers
51. Boston Celtics
52. Utah Jazz
53. Denver Nuggets
54. Atlanta Hawks
55. Los Angeles Clippers
56. Denver Nuggets
57. Memphis Grizzlies
58. Boston Celtics
59. Sacramento Kings
60. Utah Jazz
pete bloor
Guest
Problem is Ingram's ft % suggests he might not be the knock down shooter in the nba that everyone thinks.
astro
Guest
Sorry Sam, but its not 1985 anymore...a player can make money anywhere. eg KD in OKC, Lebron in Cleveland etc, and besides, Philly is hardly a small market!
Squidward
Roar Rookie
I'm glad you've got such in depth into the mind of this young man. Now give us his credit card details
Swampy
Guest
Brett Brown has very strong Oz connections having coached here for a decade including a stint with the Boomers. I'd be surprised if Simmons resisted Philly picking him. On the flipside, Ingram can shoot with range and that is the exact thing Philly is really, really bad at. In fact, with Noel, Embiid and Okafor clogging the lane it's hard to imagine Simmons would have any room to operate at all. I suspect Philly will draft Simmons and will trade one, if not two, of the three above to bring in a 3 & D guard and a floor spacing big. Delly fits the bill in actual fact & he's a free agent
Sam Walker
Roar Guru
I get a feeling the Lakers get Simmons he will not go anywhere near the Sixers, he is looking out for himself more than anything and he can make more money in LA than Philly.
Steele
Guest
Really hoping to see an Aussie playing for the Lakers, not too likely now I suspect.
pete bloor
Guest
Interesting that it went as per the odds, when was the last time that happened?
pete bloor
Guest
"The 76ers ended the season with just ten wins and a massive 72 losses, having tanking accusations thrown at them, and entered the lottery with a 29.6 per cent chance of getting the top pick. In fact, it looked like the only thing that would stop them would be the Los Angeles Lakers getting a pick outside the top three, who would then have to swap with Philly. But with the Lakers holding a 55.8 per cent chance of a top-three pick, that was less than likely." Not really what was going to happen. The Sixers didn't have to swap with the lakers they would have just gotten an extra pick.