Planet Money Planet Money vs. the NBA’s tanking problem
123 snips
Mar 6, 2026 
Zach Lowe, longtime NBA reporter and analyst known for sharp, in-depth coverage, joins to tackle tanking in the NBA. He explains the draft origins, the draft wheel idea, and why lottery tweaks failed. Short takes cover the Gold Plan from hockey, abolishing the draft, and which fixes are politically plausible. The conversation focuses on concrete draft reforms to realign incentives.
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Tanking Exists Because Draft Picks Reward Losing
- Tanking is driven by incentives created by linking team record to draft position.
- Zach Lowe explains removing that link would eradicate intentional losing because teams gain nothing from being bad one year.
Rockets Tanked Their Way To A Dynasty
- The 1984 Rockets intentionally lost late in the season to secure a top pick.
- Houston sat starters and lost 14 of 17, then drafted Hakeem Olajuwon and later won two championships.
Draft Wheel Snaps Yearly Record From Draft Outcome
- The draft wheel assigns each team a fixed draft position that rotates annually, severing year-to-year record effects.
- Over 30 years each team cycles through all picks and is guaranteed periodic top-six access.