It’s good news that the Seattle SuperSonics don’t have a lengthy history in the Draft Lottery, which is being held for the 20th time this season. Instead, for most of that period, the Sonics have been ineligible because they’ve made the playoffs. Even when they have been in the lottery, the Sonics have usually been near the bottom, as they are again this season. Still, they have caught a few breaks thanks to lucky ping-pong bounces. Here’s a year-by-year look back at the Sonics in the Draft Lottery.

McDaniel became an All-Star in Seattle. Sonics Photos

1985 - The NBA first adopted the lottery in 1985 because of concerns that the Houston Rockets had tanked during the 1984 season to get Hakeem Olajuwon. With sure superstar Patrick Ewing expected to be the first pick of the 1985 Draft, the NBA went to the lottery system. In the first year, each of the seven non-playoff teams had their logo, sealed in an envelope, placed in a bin that Commissioner David Stern drew out of. The Sonics ended up with the fourth pick, selecting Wichita State forward Xavier McDaniel. Had there not been a lottery, the Sonics would have been involved in a three-way tie with the L.A. Clippers and the Sacramento Kings, with the possibility of getting pick four, five or six.

1986 - The Sonics missed out on the 1986 playoffs, finishing with a 31-51 record, but did not have their first-round pick after trading it to Boston for guard Gerald Henderson. The Celtics ended up with the second pick in that star-crossed draft – which included flameouts like Chris Washburn, William Bedford and Roy Tarpley – and used it to select Maryland superstar Len Bias, who died of a cocaine overdose hours later.

1987 - Though the Sonics made the playoffs, they still ended up with a 1987 lottery pick thanks to a Nov. 1986 trade in which they sent Henderson to New York and earned the right to swap picks with the New York Knicks. The Sonics sent Milwaukee’s first-round pick – acquired for Jack Sikma – to New York and got the fifth pick out of the lottery, a case in which the lotto hurt them. The Knicks finished the season tied for the second-worst record in the league. With the fifth pick, the Sonics chose Central Arkansas forward Scottie Pippen, whom they traded on draft day for Olden Polynice, a second-round pick and the option to switch first-round picks in 1989.

In Payton, the Sonics got arguably the best player in their history through the lottery. Otto Greule Jr./NBAE/Gety

1990 - After two more years in the playoffs, the Sonics missed post-season play by a tiebreaker in 1990. The Houston Rockets were eliminated by the L.A. Lakers in four games, but the Sonics – tied for the best record amongst non-playoff teams with Atlanta – got two ping-pong balls in the NBA’s first weighted lotto. Despite a low probability – two out of 55 – the Sonics ball popped up to give the Sonics the second pick in the Draft. “It was an especially aggressive ball,” President Bob Whitsitt said afterwards. “It took a lot of energy to fight through all those other balls and get up there.” With the pick, the Sonics selected Oregon State point guard Gary Payton, a key move in building the core of the Sonics team that won the Pacific Division four times in five years during the 1990s. Payton spent 12-plus years in Seattle before being traded to Milwaukee last February.

1994 - An exchange of first-round picks worked out in the Sonics favor again in 1994. In the deal that brought guard Kendall Gill from Charlotte, the Sonics ended up with either Philadelphia’s or Charlotte’s first-rounder, whichever ended up worse. Both teams were in the lottery, giving the Sonics a chance at a top-three pick, but neither moved up. The Sonics got Charlotte’s pick, 11th overall, and used it on Tennessee State forward Carlos Rogers, who was later dealt to the Golden State Warriors in a four-player trade that brought the Sonics Sarunas Marciulionis and Byron Houston.

1999 - With Payton aboard, the Sonics made the playoffs eight straight seasons from 1991-98. When they finally missed the playoffs in the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season, the circumstances were similar to 1990’s. Again, the Sonics finished at .500, 25-25. Again, they won a coin toss to start the lottery ahead of another .500 team, this time the Charlotte Hornets. But instead of the Sonics defying the odds to end up with a pick in the top three, it was the Hornets who did so, ending up with a third pick they used on UCLA point guard Baron Davis. The Sonics had to settle for the 13th pick, which they used to select Duke forward Corey Maggette before trading him and three others to the Orlando Magic for center Horace Grant.

2001 - Again, the Sonics entered the lottery as the 12th seed in 2001 after missing the playoffs in a loaded Western Conference despite a 44-38 record. This time, they stayed right there. With the 12th pick, the Sonics selected forward Vladimir Radmanovic, who is still working on his Sonics legacy.

2003 - After a 2002 playoff appearance, the Sonics returned to their familiar 12th spot in a lottery that received special attention because of Ohio high-school phenom LeBron James. The drama ended quickly for the Sonics and their fans, with the Sonics staying in their own 12th spot. Bigger news for the Sonics was that the Atlanta Hawks did not secure one of the top three selections, sending their pick to Milwaukee and the Bucks' selection, 14th overall, to Seattle. With a pair of picks in the top 14, the Sonics ended up drafting Kansas forward Nick Collison and Oregon guard Luke Ridnour. Cleveland ended up with the top pick, and James won Rookie of the Year for the Cavaliers.

2004 - For the fourth time, the Sonics enter this year’s lottery projected to receive the 12th pick. Tune in on May 26th to find out if they can move up!