So Your Dad Is The NBA Draft Lottery Accountant
Yes, really.
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On Tuesday night, the NBA held its annual draft lottery, which determines which four teams win the first four draft picks and in what order.
The ball is literally in…the machine’s court? Idk I’m workshopping this one, okay!
I will spare your brain space, but essentially the 14 teams with the worst records and didn’t make the playoffs get placed in the lottery. The three teams with the three *worst* records have the highest probability of winning the lottery.
Basically the worse you do, the higher chance you have of securing a better draft spot. Drama!
I love basketball BINGO night!
This year, there’s even more excitement around the lottery, because the team that gets the no.1 draft pick lands Victor Wembanyama.
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Wembanyama is a big deal. Literally. He’s 7’2” and he’s only 18-years-old! No one is here for real sports news, but just know that he is *very* good and every team wants him.
As luck would have it, the San Antonio Spurs are getting him after being selected in that weird lottery thing! Good! For! Them!
We’re not here to talk about that. We’re here to talk about a man named Marc Dieli, an accountant for Ernst & Young who has basically the most important job in the lottery.
Dieli is in charge of overseeing the lottery and putting the results in envelopes. We all remember Best Picture Gate from the 2017 Oscars, which led to PwC issuing an apology for that envelope mixup. Whoops!
There are no mixups with Marc, people!
I spoke with Emily, Marc’s daughter, who went viral on TikTok with her video showing off her dad’s excellent lottery envelope handling skills.
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We chatted about how her dad ended up landing the coveted gig, whether or not he had a stylist for the big event, and so much more.
Enjoy our conversation below!
An Interview With Emily Dieli
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Be sure to follow Emily on TikTok here and Instagram here.
First off, can you tell me who you are and what you do?
I am an incoming third-year law student at Boston College Law. I live in Boston now with my fiancé (we are getting married in October!) and our cat.
I am originally from Long Island, NY. My parents are still in the same house that I grew up in on Long Island and have been married for almost 30 years!
Your dad has the coolest job! He's an accountant for Ernst & Young and also the official accountant for the NBA draft lottery. How long has he been working with the NBA and how did he land that role?
He's been at EY for his entire career, so 33 years! As a partner, he gets assigned to different accounts every few years to avoid any conflicts of interest. He's been on the NBA account for about 2 years.
Do you remember what your reaction was when you found out he was working with the NBA for the draft lottery?
The first time he did the draft lottery was in 2021 and I thought it was really cool! I didn't know exactly what that entailed, but when I found out he got to be on TV I was super excited for him.
I actually got super nervous for him before it aired! My fiancé freaked him out that someone might make a meme out of him lol.
Your dad must be sworn to secrecy! Have you ever tried to get him to hint at any of the results? I imagine he's pretty tight lipped to keep it all under wraps until the broadcast.
Yes, so they draw the lottery a few hours before the airing. He is in charge of overseeing the drawing and putting the results in the envelope to make sure that it's done in accordance with the rules and no one tampers with it.
They actually take his phone from the moment he enters the draft until the results are public, so there's no opportunity for him to share the results. He doesn't even know the results himself until he gets there!
What was it like to have your TikTok go viral?
It was actually pretty funny! I didn't expect it to go viral I just thought it was cool to show my dad off.
There was definitely a lot of traction though and a lot of people thought that he was the one in charge of the lottery results, which is just not true. He literally just puts the results that are given to him in the envelope.
You mentioned in the TikTok that he did more this year. What was his role in past years?
He was part of the lottery in 2021 and it seemed like there was more of an emphasis on his role this year. I personally felt like the stage was bigger and he had more screen time this year.
I must ask: Are you an NBA fan yourself? If so, who is your favorite team?
I am a fan through my fiancé. He's a big Celtics fan so being up here in Boston. We go to a lot of games! Jaylen Brown is my favorite player right now.
All NBA players have stylists. Did anyone style your dad for his moment in the spotlight?
He styled himself! He bought a new suit for the occasion which I thought looked amazing. I have a fashion background, as well, so I was super proud of his fit.
Is there anything else about your TikTok or your dad that you'd like to share?
He will probably kill me that I even posted him on TikTok, but I am super proud of him and he is seriously the best dad! (Contrary to many comments believing that EY partners never spend any time with their kids).
Other Pointless Sports Gossip
Welp. I guess we won’t be getting any more TMZ stories about this…For now.
Here we go again!
Now that the Phoenix Suns are out of the playoffs, it looks like Devin Booker may be moving on from Kendall Jenner…
If the Bravo and ESPN had a baby, it would be Impersonal Foul. You in? Subscribe and tell your friends. It means the world!
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Khloe may have "slammed" the rumor, but she sure as heck didn't deny it. How hard is it to say, "I will always care for Tristan and work with him to co-parent our children but we are not a couple"? Boom. Done.