Charlotte Hornets got lucky, but just missed out on hitting the basketball jackpot in the NBA Draft Lottery

CHICAGO (WBTV) - The Charlotte Hornets got lucky in the NBA Draft Lottery, but just missed out on hitting the basketball jackpot.

The Hornets now hold the 2nd pick in June’s NBA Draft after moving up 2 spots in the NBA Draft Lottery.

They started the night with the 4th best odds to get the top pick at 12.50% and a shot at picking the best prospect since LeBron James in French big man Victor Wembanyama.

After the first 10 picks were announced, Charlotte was still in the top 4.

The 4th pick went to Houston.

The 3rd pick went to Portland.

That meant Charlotte had a shot at the ultimate prize, but in the end, the Hornets had to settle for 2nd and San Antonio got the #1 pick.

“Of course, human nature sets you up to get greedy,” said Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak. “So when it was the two teams left, yeah, we wanted number one. For a second, there was a little bit of, ‘Ah, shucks. We didn’t get it.’ But overall, to go from four and not to go back to eight and then to go from number four to number two, it’s an incredible stroke of luck.”

With the #2 pick, Charlotte will have their choice of some pretty good players like Alabama forward Brandon Miller, G-League star point guard in Scoot Henderson, and fellow G-League guard Amen Thompson.

Even though they won’t get Wembanyama, Charlotte should come away with a player who could be a great one for the franchise for years to come.

This will be the 4th time in franchise history that the Hornets have picked 2nd. The previous 2nd picks include Alonzo Mourning in 1992 and Emeka Okafor in 2004.

The NBA Draft is June 22nd in Brooklyn, NY.

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