Under the current NBA Draft Lottery format, the Phoenix Suns have moved down in the draft three times -- and they have never moved up.
The third such occurrence took place during Tuesday night's lottery in New York City. Despite having the NBA's second-worst record in 2016-17, the Suns earned just the No. 4 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Meanwhile, the Lakers leapfrogged the Suns to get the No. 2 overall pick, despite finishing with a better record than Phoenix. It marked the second time in the last three years that the Lakers have moved up in the draft lottery.
The Suns' bad luck, combined with the repeated good luck of more nationally-prominent teams, has led some fans, including those in Phoenix, to believe the NBA Draft Lottery system is rigged.
So, after Tuesday night's lottery took place, we put it to a vote on Twitter. After nearly 900 votes, roughly three-quarters of Suns fans told us they believe the system is rigged.
Here's a sampling of responses we've received since Tuesday night's lottery:
@abc15sports It's rigged let's face it
— Jason Tilley (@jtilley480) May 17, 2017
@abc15sports @abc15 NBA lottery is rigged, not bad luck.
— John Alicoate (@Jonnyc40) May 17, 2017
@fenix3030 @abc15sports It makes me sick how rigged it is. Arizona sports suck
— Nathan (@TheNathanKropp) May 17, 2017
@abc15sports @abc15 If it was rigged, New York would have won.
— Tom Kaczor (@FishKzor) May 17, 2017
The Suns will pick fourth in the NBA Draft for the fifth time in team history. They have never had the No. 1 overall pick.
The 2017 NBA Draft will take place Thursday, June 22 beginning at 4 p.m. Arizona time.
