SALT LAKE CITY — While other teams may bring a rabbit's foot or a four-leaf clover to the festivities, the Utah Jazz have all the luck they need to win Tuesday's NBA Draft Lottery.
The whale!
With a chance to select generational superstar Victor Wembanyama in next month's draft, the stakes in the lottery couldn't be higher. That's why one Jazz fan didn't take any chances and left an offering Tuesday morning for Salt Lake City's most mystical figure.
Bryant Heath shared photos of the Jazz t-shirt he placed at the foot of the 9th and 9th Whale, asking the sculpture with the cult-like following to bring some good fortune to the Delta Center. The Church of the Sacred Whale claims the can't-miss artwork brought the epic winter snowfall that ended Utah's drought, so why not a Hail Mary for hoops?
Made an offering to the @9thand9thwhale in hopes that it blesses us with the Number 1 pick in the NBA Draft Lottery tonight 🙏#takenote pic.twitter.com/KuSKAIsQwq
— Bryant Heath (@SLsees) May 16, 2023
Moments after Heath left his offering to the whale, someone else arrived and placed additional Jazz paraphernalia at the base of the magical and all-powerful marine mammal.
The lottery is comprised of the 14 teams that failed to make the playoffs this past season, with the Jazz holding a minuscule 4.5% chance to grab the top pick. But you're saying there's a chance, right?
The 7-5 Wembanyama is just 19 years old and has already been called a "generational talent" by LeBron James. He has a complete tool set on the court, from 3-point shooting to ball handling to length that makes him a wall around the rim.
In eight previous lottery tries, Utah's best finishing position came in 2014 when they selected Dante Exum with the fifth overall pick.
