Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard could not believe the team fell to the No. 7 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft Lottery.
Just ahead of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics was the 2022 NBA Draft Lottery. The event was set to determine the exact order of the first 14 picks in the upcoming draft.
The Portland Trail Blazers sent star Damian Lillard to Chicago for the event, and he sat on stage waiting to see what the team’s position will be in the first round. With the sixth-best odds to win the lottery, the Trail Blazers fell to the No. 7 pick, as the Sacramento Kings leapfrogged them to land in the Top Four.
Aaron J. Fentress of The Oregonian provided the following video of Lillard, who could not believe that Portland fell to the seventh-overall pick.
Damian Lillard’s couldn’t believe Trail Blazers fell in NBA Draft Lottery
We can guarantee that Trail Blazers fans felt the exact same way as Lillard, as the team had a 37.23-percent chance of landing in the Top 4.
On the flip side, there was Damontas Sabonis, who was representing the Kings at the NBA Draft Lottery. As Lillard put his hand over his face in disbelief, Sabonis had a huge smile on his face.
Following the commercial break, the NBA unveiled the exact order of the Top Four, and the Kings secured the No. 4 overall pick.
The lottery was won by the Orlando Magic, who hold the first-overall pick for the first time since 2004, the very year they selected Dwight Howard. This is also the fourth time ever that they have won the NBA Draft Lottery.
Portland had a season to forget, as they finished the campaign with a 27-55 record. Lillard played just 29 games before undergoing season-ending abdominal surgery. Since returning from the All-Star break, the Trail Blazers went 2-21!
Now, the Trail Blazers will prepare for the upcoming draft as to how they will use their first-round pick. Well, their seventh-overall pick to be exact.