SAN ANTONIA – Having missed the playoffs for the third time in a row, “Spurs” returned to the lottery, and life turned around. David Robinson will represent San Antonio when the 2022 NBA Draft Lottery takes place in Chicago on Tuesday night before the opening game of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics.
In 1987, the Spurs found themselves in the NBA lottery in New York City after the end of the regular season with a score of 28-54. It was the worst record in franchise history at the time. Later, general manager Bob Bass attended the lottery to watch NBA Commissioner David Stern pull out the Phoenix Suns logo for a second pick in the NBA Draft, meaning the Spurs pick first. Bass wasted no time telling the world who would choose Spurs: a seven-foot center from the David Robinson Naval Academy. The Spurs took a big risk, knowing that Robinson still had to serve two years in the Navy before being released to dress in silver and black.
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It was to be expected. Robinson helped franchise two NBA championships as a player and three as a minority owner.
The story repeated itself in 1997, when the Spurs, against all odds, won the NBA lottery again, this time at a studio in Secacus, New Jersey. San Antonio beat Philadelphia, who finished second, and Boston, who finished third. The Spurs again showed no hesitation, picking up another seven-foot, this time from Wake Forest: Tim Duncan. He has competed in five NBA championships. It was a match made in a basketball paradise.
This year, the Spurs have only a 4.5% chance of getting the first choice, but they have a 20.3% chance of finishing in the top four. Their lottery pick will be one of three first-round draft picks that Spurs have this offseason due to trading. Bought № 20 from Toronto and № 25 from Boston.
With the admiral as the team’s personal representative this time around, this may be exactly what the “spurs” need to make history repeat itself … again.
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