CHICAGO — Zion Williamson’s immediate future is likely to be decided by the bounce of 14 pingpong balls.
The NBA draft lottery is Tuesday night in Chicago, where some team will be awarded the No. 1 pick in the June 20 draft — and, presumably, the chance to grab Williamson with that selection.
New York, Cleveland and Phoenix share the best odds: They’ve all got a 14 percent chance of winning under a new format that was designed in 2017 and put into play this year to discourage teams from all-out tanking. Williamson, the consensus college basketball player of the year this past season, is expected to be in the audience when the lottery results are announced.