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NBA Lottery Results 2023: Spurs Win Wembanyama Sweepstakes; Full Selection Order

Scott Polacek

Tuesday could be one of the most important days in the illustrious history of the San Antonio Spurs if Victor Wembanyama lives up to the hype.

Perhaps no NBA draft lottery was as well-positioned to tip the scales of the league as this year's, at least since the 2003 version when the Cleveland Cavaliers won the rights to draft LeBron James. That is the stratosphere that Wembanyama has orbited in terms of prospect discussions, and his destination came down to how the ping pong balls bounced.

And they bounced the right way for the Spurs.

Here is a look at the full results of the lottery:

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 Bulls)

12. Oklahoma City Thunder

13. Toronto Raptors

14. New Orleans Pelicans

All eyes were on the No. 1 spot, and for good reason.

"This is the most highly-anticipated player to ever enter the NBA," ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski said of Wembanyama. "This is, maybe not only the greatest prospect in the NBA's history, maybe the greatest prospect in the history of team sports."

Plenty of prospects can shoot from the outside. Plenty of prospects have the size to dominate down low as both a scorer and a rim protector while cleaning up the glass. Plenty of prospects have the athleticism to beat defenders off the dribble in transition or half-court sets.

The 7'4" Wembanyama has it all.

A player with the combination of Kevin Durant's jumper and Giannis Antetokounmpo's ability to get to the rim may be difficult to fully grasp for those NBA fans who haven't seen the 19-year-old play, but that is the way some of his future peers talk about him.

James deemed Wembanyama "an alien" instead of a unicorn, Stephen Curry said he is a "cheat code," and Antetokounmpo said he has "never seen this before in my life" when discussing the prospect.

A player who inspires genuine awe from some of the best in NBA history was the prize Tuesday, but talented prospects like Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller are far from just consolation prizes. That was also the case in 2003 when Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were anything but afterthoughts even though the Cavaliers landed James.

The 2023 class has the chance to be special, and it all starts with the prospect who comes to the league with generational hype.

   

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