One NBA team is about to hit the lottery.
The order of the top 14 picks in this year’s draft will be determined this weekend via the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery.
A total of 13 teams enter the event with a chance to land the No. 1 pick, though not everyone has the same odds. Several teams have greater than a 10% chance at securing the top selection while others have odds below 1%.
Before the No. 1 pick is awarded, here’s everything you need to know about the draft lottery:
The draft lottery order will be revealed on Sunday, May 12.
The lottery begins at 3 p.m. ET.
The event will take place in Chicago.
ABC will broadcast this year’s lottery.
The event will also be available to stream on ESPN.com and the ESPN app.
The Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards are tied for the top lottery odds as each hold a 14% chance at winning the No. 1 pick. The Charlotte Hornets (13.3%), Portland Trail Blazers (13.2%) and San Antonio Spurs (10.5%) are the other teams with greater than a 10% chance of landing the top pick.
The Golden State Warriors, meanwhile, have the lowest odds at 0.7%. Golden State’s pick will convey to Portland if it doesn’t jump into the top four.
Here’s a full look at the odds for the No. 1 pick, along with details on the picks that could change hands depending on the lottery results:
T-1. Detroit Pistons: 14%
T-1. Washington Wizards: 14%
3. Charlotte Hornets: 13.3%
4. Portland Trail Blazers: 13.2%
5. San Antonio Spurs: 10.5%
6. Toronto Raptors: 9% (pick conveys to San Antonio if outside top 6)
7. Memphis Grizzlies: 7.5%
8. Utah Jazz: 6% (conveys to Oklahoma City if outside top 10)
9. Houston Rockets (via Brooklyn): 4.5%
10. Atlanta Hawks: 3%
11. Chicago Bulls: 2%
12. Houston Rockets: 1.5% (conveys to Oklahoma City if outside top 4)
13. Sacramento Kings: 0.8%
14. Golden State Warriors: 0.7% (conveys to Portland if outside top 4)
The draft lottery process is somewhat similar to the actual lottery. Teams are assigned four-number combinations ahead of the drawing and those with worse records hold more combinations.
Fourteen ping-pong balls numbered 1 to 14 are placed in a lottery machine and there are four ping-pong balls removed during a given drawing.
There are four total drawings, starting with the No. 1 pick and ending with the No. 4 pick. After the first four picks have been assigned, the No. 5 to No. 14 picks are set in inverse order of the regular-season standings.
The lottery results are revealed during the broadcast, but the actual drawing isn’t televised live.
The team who wins the lottery won’t have an easy choice like the Spurs did last year with Victor Wembanyama. That’s because this year’s class doesn’t boast a consensus No. 1 pick, creating some real uncertainty at the top of the draft.
A trio of international prospects — French forward Zaccharie Risacher, French center Alex Sarr and Serbian guard Nikola Topić — have been tabbed by draft experts as potential high picks. Risacher went No. 1 in an ESPN mock draft last month while Sarr is atop The Ringer’s mock.
The top college prospects, meanwhile, include UConn guard Stephon Castle, UConn center Donovan Clingan, Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham, Tennessee forward Dalton Knecht, Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard and Colorado forward Cody Williams.
G League Ignite guards Matas Buzelis and Ron Holland could also hear their names called early. Holland is the No. 1 prospect on Bleacher Report’s big board.
The NBA draft is moving to a two-day format this year. The first round is scheduled for Wednesday, June 26 followed by Round 2 on Thursday, June 27.
Barclays Center, home of the Nets, in Brooklyn, N.Y., will host the first round of the draft. The second round will be held at ESPN’s Seaport District Studios in New York City.
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