With less than a 2 percent chance of landing the first overall pick in Monday evening’s NBA draft lottery, the ping pong ball popped up  for the Mavericks, securing the top pick in the upcoming NBA draft. With that top pick, it gives Dallas the ability to land Duke’s Cooper Flagg, the consensus top selection. In other news, Dallas’ Office of Equity and Inclusion, which was heavily featured in the region’s human rights proposal required to host next year’s FIFA World Cup, could be on the chopping block if a Texas Senate bill intended to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion departments in local governments becomes law; the Texas House overwhelmingly endorsed a bill that would fund a grant program for research and medical trials ibogaine, a centuries-old psychoactive drug derived from a plant indigenous to Central Africa, increasingly viewed by the medical and science community as the next big hope in trauma, depression, addiction and brain injury treatment; and the Dallas Cowboys will open the upcoming NFL season on the road against Super Bowl Champ Philadelphia on Thursday, September 4.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices