The basketball world was left stunned as the Dallas Mavericks emerged victorious in the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery, all but confirming that 18-year-old phenom Cooper Flagg will be suiting up in Texas next season.
But no reaction hit harder than that of LeBron James himself.
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar took to X (formerly Twitter) and dropped a savage response to the lottery outcome: a post of eight straight laughing emojis, no words, just vibes.
And fans, predictably, went into complete meltdown in the comments.
While the emoji-laced post could be interpreted as banter, many NBA fans believe there’s more than humour behind the 40-year-old legend’s response.
After all, Flagg isn’t just any top pick, the former Duke star is being hailed as a generational talent.
Add him to a Mavericks roster already boasting Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving, and the Western Conference suddenly feels even more like a war zone.
LeBron, who’s been outspoken in the past about his suspicions regarding the integrity of the NBA Draft process, seemed to reignite the “rigged” narrative—without even typing a single word.
Fans immediately linked his post to a previous interview where he hinted that the draft system was, in his words, “questionable.”
One fan commented under his post: “Makes sense why he went on McAfee…Bron def knew what was gonna happen with Mavericks getting #1 pick.”
Another fired back even harder: “Yes the draft is rigged but you should be the last person talking. The Cavs were gifted three No.1 picks, which helped you walk back into Cleveland with a stacked roster.”
Another user commented:
‘LeBron told us last month that the NBA draft was rigged and he was right!”
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One other fan quipped:
“buddy they rigged your draft too”
With Flagg projected to be taken first overall on Draft day, the Mavericks now look terrifyingly complete.
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For James, who is in the twilight of his Hall of Fame career, it presents a brand-new problem in an already loaded West.
If Flagg had landed in Charlotte, Utah or Washington, LeBron might’ve cruised a bit longer. But Dallas? That’s a different beast entirely.
