The 2025 NBA Draft Lottery is just around the corner and the Dallas Mavericks are hoping to have luck in their favor when the pingpong balls drop on Monday night.
14 teams are in contention for the No. 1 pick. The Mavericks have the 11th-best odds in the lottery with a 1.8% chance of landing the top pick and an 8.5% chance of securing a top-four selection. However, plenty of teams have entered the event at the bottom of the field and then made incredible leaps.
The most recent example is the Atlanta Hawks just last year. The Hawks rose to No. 1 in the 2024 NBA Draft after entering the lottery with the tenth-best odds to receive the top pick. The franchise ultimately decided to draft international prospect, Zaccharie Risacher.
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Following arguably the wildest season in franchise history, Dallas is hoping something will finally go its way next week.
According to The Dallas Morning News’ Mike Curtis, Mavericks legend Rolando Blackman will represent the team in Chicago.
“Rolando was a natural choice for this role at the lottery due to his impactful leadership for the franchise through the decades, both on and off the court,” the Mavericks said in a statement.
Dallas selected Blackman with the No. 9 overall pick in the 1981 NBA Draft. He spent a decade with the Mavericks, averaging 19.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 865 appearances. Blackman was named an NBA All-Star four teams (1985-87, 1990). He was the franchise’s leading scorer with 16,643 points until being passed by fellow legend, Dirk Nowitzki, in 2008.
Blackman played out the final two years of his NBA career with the New York Knicks prior to a stint overseas.
Following his retirement, he worked for the Mavericks in a variety of roles, including assistant coach, TV analyst, and director of basketball development. Blackman also has experience with the German National Team and the Turkish National Team.
The Mavericks retired Blackman’s No. 22 jersey in 2011, the same year that Dallas won its first and only NBA Championship.
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