Photographer: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

The last time an NBA draft lottery sparked this much excitement at Madison Square Garden was 1985, when the New York Knicks got the pick that ultimately landed them superstar Patrick Ewing.

This time around, Duke University basketball phenom Zion Williamson is the key prize. And the long-suffering Knicks are once again in a position to nab the top pick.

At Tuesday night’s lottery in Chicago, Ewing himself -- now a retired Hall of Famer -- will represent the Knicks, who have a 14% chance of going first in the draft. Two other squads, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns, each have the same odds, which are based on how poorly the teams performed in the regular season.

Eyeing Zion

NBA teams are vying for a chance to draft basketball phenom Zion Williamson

Source: National Basketball Association

Back in 1985, the Knicks also had a 14% shot at Ewing. If the team can get first crack at Williamson, it will give them a wunderkind armed with the game and fame to resuscitate a moribund franchise.

“Based on his collegiate on-court performance and social-media presence, Zion will arguably become the most high-profile player in the history of the NBA draft, and that includes Michael Jordan and LeBron James,” said Steve Rosner, founder and partner of 16W Marketing in New Jersey.

The lottery has changed a lot since the 1980s, when envelopes featuring team logos were chosen out of a big plastic ball in front of a live television audience. Prior to the first lottery drawing -- 1985, the same year Ewing was drafted -- the first pick was chosen with a private coin flip.

Pingpong Balls

This year, the top four picks will be decided behind closed doors using numbered pingpong balls, with a few team executives and journalists witnessing the process. After the first four selections are determined, the remaining 11 teams in the lottery will slot behind them in reverse order of success from last season.

Then, in a televised countdown full of drama, the lottery winners will be revealed, starting with No. 14 and ending with No. 1. The draft itself will be held on June 20.

This past season, no team lost more games than the Knicks, marking the sixth straight year they’ve missed the postseason. Off the court, however, there were signs of improvement. Thanks to a strong corporate and sponsor base, a renovated MSG arena and a fat local TV deal, the franchise is worth a league-high $4 billion, according to Forbes.

Signing Williamson would only add to the Knicks’ coffers, Rosner said.

Free Agents

“The anticipation and excitement of Zion on the Knicks would overflow to the team’s business side in areas such as sponsorship opportunities, ticket sales, broadcast ratings, media coverage and social-media platforms -- not to mention a big selling point to this year’s free agents,” he said.

Besides its draft prospects, the Knicks have gobs of money to spend on free agents. Among the most enticing players available are former MVP Kevin Durant and All-Star Kyrie Irving.

Around the NBA, clubs that seemingly didn’t mind piling up losses -- thereby increasing their chances at winning the No. 1 pick -- were said to be “Tryin’ for Zion,” whose freakish athleticism has made him the most-heralded draft prospect since James.

Williamson is so influential that when the 6-foot-7, 285-pound forward tore through his sneaker during a nationally televised game, Nike Inc.’s stock dipped the following day.

The Knicks, unlike the Suns or the Cavaliers, are owned by a publicly traded company. A win in the draft lottery could be reflected Wednesday in the stock price of Madison Square Garden Co., which rose 13% this year through Monday.

Big Market

Williamson’s own brand could benefit from being in New York. Even though James was able to become a global icon in Cleveland, it’s an easier task in the No. 1 media market.

“His stature will benefit immensely with whichever NBA team drafts him, but if he were to end up with the Knicks his off-court business opportunities would grow exponentially,” said Rosner, whose clients include basketball Hall of Famers Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon. “If his -- and the team’s -- performance on the court lives up to the hype, Zion has the chance to become one of the most marketable New York athletes to grace Madison Avenue over the last couple of decades.”

— With assistance by Eben Novy-Williams