NBA Draft Lottery 2012 Wednesday Night

LeBron James and Tim Duncan.

Both NBA stars have two things in common.

They were drafted No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft after leaving college (or in James’ case, high school) and both All-Stars are still alive in the playoffs, and Duncan’s Spurs are fresh off their 20th consecutive win, including the regular season.

And we can’t forget Kevin Durant who was drafted No. 2 behind injury prone big man Greg Oden. (His Oklahoma City Thunder is down 0-2 to the Spurs.)

So you know the team that lucks out and grasps the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft will be hoping that this year’s top pick—presumably Kentucky’s Anthony Davis—will be the centerpiece of playoff teams for years to come.

But securing the first pick doesn’t always mean a championship is on the horizon.

James, Dwight Howard and Derrick Rose are still looking to grab their first title.

And other guys such as Greg Oden and Andrew Bogut won’t ever be mentioned among the league’s best big men. And there’s that guy Kwame Brown.

The lottery will be televised live at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

So here’s the list of teams taking part in this year’s NBA Draft Lottery:

Charlotte Bobcats: (Lottery odds: 25 percent)

Washington Wizards: (Lottery odds: 19.9 percent)

Cleveland Cavaliers: (Lottery odds: 13.8 percent)

New Orleans Hornets: (Lottery odds: 13.7 percent)

Sacramento Kings: (Lottery odds: 7.6 percent)

Brooklyn Nets (or Blazers because pick is Top 3 protected for Nets): (Lottery odds: 7.5 percent)

Golden State Warriors (or Utah Jazz because pick is Top 7 protected for Warriors): (Lottery odds: 3.6 percent)