Five teams are in contention for the coveted No. 1 pick in the upcoming 2026 WNBA Draft. The Dallas Wings, Minnesota Lynx, Seattle Storm, Washington Mystics, and Chicago Sky will participate in the draft lottery scheduled for November 23, 2025. The lottery will determine which franchise has the opportunity to select the highly touted prospect, Lauren Betts from UCLA, who is projected to be the top pick according to ESPN’s latest mock draft.
Draft Lottery Details
Fans can tune in to the lottery event on ESPN at 18:30 ET, where all the excitement will unfold on the league’s streaming hub. The lottery format involves a drawing of four balls numbered 1 through 14 from a machine. These balls will create a four-digit combination that determines the team awarded the top pick. The same process will be followed for the No. 2 pick, while the remaining picks (3 to 5) will be allocated based on the teams with the worst records from the previous two seasons.
The lottery odds are calculated based on the cumulative performance of the five teams that did not qualify for the playoffs in the last season. The teams’ chances of securing the top picks are as follows:
– Dallas Wings: 420 chances out of 1,000
– Minnesota Lynx (via Chicago Sky): 261 chances out of 1,000
– Seattle Storm (via Los Angeles Sparks): 167 chances out of 1,000
– Washington Mystics: 97 chances out of 1,000
– Chicago Sky (via Connecticut Sun): 55 chances out of 1,000
Looking Ahead to the Draft
The 2026 WNBA Draft is set to take place on April 13, 2026. As the league prepares for this critical event, fans can follow the ESPN WNBA hub for updates on scores, standings, statistics, and schedules. With significant implications for the future of these franchises, anticipation is building for the lottery and the draft, marking an important moment in the WNBA calendar.
