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USATSI

CHICAGO — One day removed from the 36th anniversary of winning their first draft lottery, the San Antonio Spurs celebrated again in spectacular fashion Tuesday by winning the coveted No. 1 pick of the 2023 NBA Draft at this year's lottery and the rights -- the beautiful, priceless rights -- to select Victor Wembanyama, considered the best prospect in a generation.

Peter John Holt, the chairman of Spurs Sports & Entertainment and the team's on-stage representative, could barely contain himself upon learning the news. And by barely I mean: he could not in any way contain himself. (And for the record: who can blame him?) As NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum pulled out the envelope revealing the No. 2 pick with the Charlotte Hornets logo on it, Holt knew by process of elimination that his Spurs had won the lottery.

"I had line of sight to where I could see Charlotte come out of the envelope [at No. 2]. I think I jumped the gun," Holt said. "My apologies to Charlotte and to Mark Williams. I said 'sorry' afterwards if any of my spittle went anywhere. I felt bad."

Holt let out an uproarious "LET'S GO," and a "WHOOOOO!" followed by another "LET'S GO!" as Tatum worked his way towards unveiling the Spurs as the lottery winner. So much adrenaline and excitement coursed through him so quickly, his first comments on the ESPN broadcast were not about winning the lottery or about Wembanyama -- they were a brief mention that he might faint.

San Antonio won the draft lottery on May 17, 1987, and then again on May 18, 1997, selecting two superstars in David Robinson and Tim Duncan, respectively, in those years . Now a third lottery win on darn near the same date has given this franchise new life, behind what is expected to be another generationally talented big man in Wembanyama.

"People talk about generational talent, and they only think of on-court skills," said Spurs general manager Brian Wright. "But it's bigger than that. Peter talked about his ability to be a great teammate, his ability to think the game. His approach, his professionalism -- when you talk about generational talent, it extends beyond just the ability to put the ball in the basket, and he's unique in so many ways."

In an alternate universe, the Portland Trail Blazers -- who had the lottery combination of 14-5-8-3 and secured the No. 3 overall pick -- were nearly the winners of one of the most anticipated lottery nights in years. But not quite. San Antonio won with the four-number combination of 14-5-8-2, which Wright, who was in the lottery room for the actual drawing, was first able to learn before anyone else.

"The numbers start to come up, you're searching through the pages to see if you have it. Then you realize it's you," Wright said. "It's an incredible amount of excitement. An incredible day for the franchise, the fans, for the entire organization."

San Antonio brass of course played coy -- or tried, rather, to play coy -- about what winning the No. 1 pick means and, more importantly, who they will select. They spoke highly of the class and promised a thorough six week evaluation leading up to the draft. But Holt couldn't contain his excitement on the stage, and as he stood in front of a media scrum off it, he brandished a big grin and couldn't help but allow himself to think about the potential franchise-changing moment he just experienced. 

"Wherever he goes he's probably going to have a really really bright future," he said. .. "It's pretty nice to have No. 1."