The San Antonio Spurs have made two No.1 picks in franchise history. First in 1987 when they selected The Admiral David Robinson. Ten years later 1997 they drafted Tim Duncan with the No.1 pick. From there the franchise formed a dynasty that went on to win five championships and make an indelible mark on the NBA.
Now the Spurs could be on top of the NBA for the next decade after winning the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery, and with it the right to draft projected franchise cornerstone player Victor Wembanyama with that top pick.
“This is a player’s league, the players are what drives us all, so I can imagine [how this impacts the franchise],” Peter J. Holt, the Spurs managing partner, said when asked if he could imagine how much this would impact the franchise, reminding everyone they did draft Robinson and Duncan.
Yessssssssssssssssss!!! #GoSpursGo !!
— Manu Ginobili (@manuginobili) May 17, 2023
This is also a win for the French star Wembanyama, who goes to a stable organization known for developing talent — and one with a deep connection to France thanks to Spurs legend Tony Parker. Plus, there is no better coach for his first couple of years in the NBA than Gregg Popovich.
Bonjour, Je m'appelle Jeremy! Et toi?😼
— Jeremy Sochan (@JeremySochan) May 17, 2023
Here is how the NBA Draft Lottery shook out.
1. San Antonio Spurs
2. Charlotte Hornets
3. Portland Trail Blazers
4. Houston Rockets
5. Detroit Pistons
6. Orlando Magic
7. Indiana Pacers
8. Washington Wizards
9. Utah Jazz
10. Dallas Mavericks
11. Orlando Magic (via Chicago)
12. Oklahoma City Thunder
13. Toronto Raptors
14. New Orleans Pelicans
Some other notes from how the NBA Draft lottery broke down.
• The Detroit Pistons were the biggest losers of the day, falling as far as they possibly could with the worst regular season record in the league to the No. 5 pick.
• The Charlotte Hornets will pick second, where most teams have either guard Scoot Henderson or wing Brandon Miller next on their boards. With the Hornets already having a dynamic ball handler at the point in LaMelo Ball, will they select Miller and let Henderson slide to Portland (where he would play next to Damian Lillard)?
• Portland may not make that No.3 pick. League sources have told NBC Sports the Trail Blazers want to make a big splash trade to get another star next to Lillard. Packaging the No.3 pick with some of their other young talent such as Shaedon Sharpe and/or Anfernee Simons could land that kind of player.
• Everything from pick No.6 to 14 followed form, which matched how they finished the season.
• The Dallas Mavericks’ late-season tanking was rewarded, nobody leapfrogged them so they get to keep their first-round pick (it was owed to the Knicks but top-10 protected). Don’t be surprised if the Mavericks attempt to trade the pick to bring in more immediate help around Luka Dončić.
• The Chicago Bulls did not jump up into the top four, so their pick at No. 12 belongs to the Orlando Magic (part of the Nikola Vucevic trade).
• Here is what the rest of the first round looks like
15. Atlanta Hawks
16. Utah Jazz (via Minnesota)
17. Los Angeles Lakers
18. Miami Heat
19. Houston Rockets (via Los Angeles Clippers)
20. Golden State Warriors
21. Brooklyn Nets (via Phoenix)
22. Brooklyn Nets
23. Portland Trail Blazers (via New York)
24. Sacramento Kings
25. Memphis Grizzlies
26. Indiana Pacers (via Cleveland)
27. Charlotte Hornets (via Denver)
28. Utah Jazz (via Philadelphia)
29. Indiana Pacers (via Boston)
30. Los Angeles Clippers (via Milwaukee)
• The NBA Draft occurs on June 22 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
