Inside the 2002 Lakers-Kings Game 6: How 12 Minutes of Basketball Broke the Math and Altered NBA History Forever May 31, 2002. A date...

Seven sealed envelopes sat inside a clear plexiglass drum, each containing the destiny of an NBA franchise. David Stern's manicured hand hovered above them, the commissioner's poker face betraying nothing as he plunged in and, after what seemed like theatrical deliberation, extracted the future of the league.

On a recent podcast appearance, Shaq casually dropped a bombshell about his pre-draft conversation with then-NBA Commissioner David Stern. According to the Big Aristotle, Stern asked him, "You want to play where it's cold or where it's hot?" Shaq, never one to overcomplicate things, replied, "Hot."

The Dallas Mavericks didn’t just trade away Luka Dončić in 2025—they rewrote the manual on NBA blockbusters with a masterclass in secrecy, dysfunction, and (alleged) lottery luck that has conspiracy theorists foaming at the mouth. This wasn’t your typical star-for-assets saga. This was an orchestrated maneuver that had fans, rival executives, and even seasoned insiders muttering one word: rigged.