The 2026 NBA Draft Lottery Is Almost Here: Here's Everything Happening May 10
The basketball world is about to watch 14 teams sweat it out for a shot at changing their franchise forever. The 2026 NBA draft lottery is coming Sunday, May 10, and it's going down at McCormick Place in Chicago at 3 p.m. ET, live on ABC and the ESPN app. This is where the lottery teams find out who gets the No. 1 overall pick, and honestly, the drama is real.
Three Teams Are Tied at the Top
The Washington Wizards, Indiana Pacers, and Brooklyn Nets all finished with the worst records and each have a 14% chance to land the top pick. But here's the thing about this lottery: the worst team doesn't always get rewarded. Last year, the Dallas Mavericks won with only a 1.8% chance to pick No. 1. The year before that, the Atlanta Hawks took it down with 3% odds. So yeah, anything can happen on May 10.
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Here's how the 14 teams stack up in terms of their odds to grab that coveted No. 1 pick:
- Washington Wizards: 14%
- Indiana Pacers: 14%
- Brooklyn Nets: 14%
- Utah Jazz: 11.5%
- Sacramento Kings: 11.5%
- Memphis Grizzlies: 8.0%
- Atlanta Hawks (via New Orleans Pelicans): 6.8%
- Dallas Mavericks: 6.7%
- Chicago Bulls: 4.5%
- Milwaukee Bucks: 3%
- Golden State Warriors: 2%
- Oklahoma City Thunder (via LA Clippers): 1.5%
- Miami Heat: 1%
- Charlotte Hornets: 0.5%
The NBA already ran its tiebreaker process on April 20, and the Utah Jazz took the fourth-best odds in a random draw against the Sacramento Kings, pushing Sacramento to fifth.
How This Actually Works
Ping-pong balls determine the first four picks. After that, teams fill spots 5 through 14 in inverse order of their regular season records. Some teams traded away their lottery picks, so the Hawks will get the better pick between the Bucks and Pelicans, while the Thunder automatically get the Clippers' pick no matter what the lottery says.
The draft itself happens June 23 and 24, but Sunday is the moment everything changes. Mark your calendar.
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This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.