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Pre-lottery, the first pick in the league's annual draft was determined by a coin toss between the two teams in each conference with the worst records.
Stung by accusations that the Houston Rockets "tanked" their 1984 season in order to obtain Hakeem Olajuwon, Stern and the NBA instituted the lottery system in 1985.
The Draft Lottery was at first a chance drawing for the top seven draft picks among the seven non-playoff teams, with each team having an equal chance of landing the number one pick.
The New York Knicks won the first lottery and the prize was Patrick Ewing. Meanwhile, the worst team that season, the Golden State Warriors, drew the seventh and final lottery draft position. That result ignited the Oliver Stone crowd and conspiracy theorists abounded, accusing the NBA of rigging the lottery in order to send Ewing to the nation's No. 1 media market.
In fact, video of the event has become the NBA's own version of the Zapruder Film with thousands of Jim Garrisons breaking it down frame-by-frame, looking for the dinged envelope.
Since then, things have evolved into a "weighted lottery" where teams with fewer wins have a greater chance at selecting higher in the draft.
Through it all, the event has become must-see television where the fans of the league's moribund clubs cling to hope like a proverbial powerball ticket.
The 25th anniversary edition of the lottery was held at the NBA Entertainment studios Tuesday night and Los Angeles' red-headed stepchild was the "big winner."
The Clippers came into the lottery with a 17.7 percent chance of jumping up and grabbing Willy Wonka's golden ticket, Oklahoma's Blake Griffin. Sure enough, as their Staples Center co-tenants prepared to hit the floor for the opener of yet another Western Conference finals series, the Clips' number came up, as the club vaulted over Sacramento and Washington to land the No. 1 pick.
"It's a great day for Clipper fans," said Clipper president Andy Roeser, who represented the franchise. "We're going to get a great player who will help our franchise for a long, long time."
Of course, Roeser never mentioned Griffin by name, but the former Sooners power forward is the consensus top pick in the June 25 draft and regarded as a potential All-Star.
Griffin is the type of player that combines rare athleticism with a tremendous work ethic but I can't help thinking that this is just the start of another disappointing chapter in Clippers history. In fact, Griffin reminds me of a silver anniversary present.
It's nice, but silver isn't gold.
And, Griffin is no surefire superstar like a LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal or Dwight Howard.
Former Kings star Chris Webber didn't hide his disappointment when he failed to deliver the No. 1 pick for his old team but he wasn't exactly devastated either. The Kings, who were an NBA-worst 17-65 and will now pick fourth, had the best statistical chance of landing the No. 1 pick at 25 percent.
"Although I didn't come away with the No. 1 pick, which is what I came for, I still think it's a good system," Webber said. "I think it's fair. The worst team shouldn't always get the best player. That's not the way it should always be. You don't want to reward losing."
It's a lot easier for the "losers" to be gracious in a year where dropping from one to four doesn't mean as much. With the fourth selection, Sacramento will likely have its choice of Arizona State shooting guard James Harden or Arizona power forward Jordan Hill.
Asked to compare the games of each player to current NBA players, one prominent scout told me Harden reminded him of Brandon Roy, while Hill compared to Chris Bosh. Asked about Griffin, the same scout brought up a series of names from Hall of Famer Karl Malone all the way down to Antonio McDyess, certainly a nice player but not worthy of the No. 1 overall selection.
In the last 15 years, only three teams with the worst record have ended with the top overall selection. The Chicago Bulls defied substantial odds last year, overcoming a 1.7 percent chance to land the top overall selection. They swept up dynamic guard Derrick Rose, who helped change the culture of the franchise and was named Rookie of the Year. The Clips have crossed their fingers hoping the same kind of thing happens with Griffin.
I can't help thinking the night's real winner may have been the Memphis Grizzlies, who jumped from the six-hole to the second pick, giving them an uncontested shot at star Spanish guard Ricky Rubio.
Rubio, a playmaker that has conjured up images of the legendary Pete Maravich and Steve Nash, will likely arrive on Beale Street without all the expectations heaped upon Griffin.
Now that's a nice gift.
