Dikembe Mutombo Congratulates 76ers Early For Winning NBA Draft Lottery

It took Dikembe Mutombo less than a minute to realize he had done something wrong after he tweeted an early congratulations to his former team, the Philadelphia 76ers, for winning this year’s NBA Draft lottery.

Dikembe Mutombo Congratulates 76ers Early For Winning NBA Draft Lottery

“Congrats to @Sixers on grabbing the #1 spot in the #NBADraft,” the former Congolese-American center tweeted hours before the 76ers actually won the lottery.

The tweet had originally been suggested in an email, which Mutombo then forwarded to For The Win, sent from a team staffer in case the Sixers did win the lottery.

“As you know tonight is the NBA Draft Lottery and we are all excited and hopeful we walk away with the #1 overall pick,” the email read. “To help create excitement for the team, would it be possible for you (or whoever controls your account) to post a congratulatory tweet in the event we do get the #1 Overall Pick? I know you have ties to many teams, but none of which would be in the running for the #1 pick this year.”

Mutombo claimed he was busy and did not read the email carefully. He immediately deleted the tweet soon after he realized his mistake.

“Sorry, guys,” he tweeted. “Got excited about the @sixers odds and got ahead of myself.Still keeping my fingers crossed for tonight.”

“I want to let people know there was no conspiracy,” Mutombo told The Associated Press in a phone interview, saying it was a mistake and that he thought “a lot of people understood the error that was made.”

PHOTO: NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 16: Basketball player Dikembe Mutombo attends the RFK Ripple Of Hope Gala at Hilton Hotel Midtown on December 16, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for RFK Ripple Of Hope)