WNBA Draft Lottery 2026: channel, time, odds, how to watch the lottery

THE WNBA Draft Lottery has the potential to change the course of any franchise.

Just think about how the Indiana fever ended their seven-year playoff drought in 2024 after adding No. 1 overall picks Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Or how Arike Ogunbowale “I fell to my knees” after the Dallas Wings landed the No. 1 pick in the Paige Bueckers draft lottery last year.

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It all comes down to 14 ping pong balls. The 2026 WNBA Draft Lottery will take place on Sunday, November 23, as the league and WNBPA continue. collective agreement negotiations. Five teams – the Dallas Wings, Minnesota Lynx, Seattle Storm, Washington Mystics And Chicago Sky – compete for first choice.

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Here’s everything you need to know about the 2026 WNBA Draft Lottery:

When is the 2026 WNBA Draft Lottery?

The 2026 WNBA Draft Lottery will take place on Sunday, November 23 at 6:30 p.m. ET at the ESPN Studios in Los Angeles.

How to Watch the WNBA Draft Lottery

The Draft Lottery will air on ESPN on Sunday, November 23 at 6:30 p.m. ET, marking the 14th consecutive year the network has televised the event. The event can also be streamed on the ESPN app.

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Which teams are in the 2026 WNBA Draft Lottery?

The five teams that missed the playoffs in 2025 are entered in the draft lottery and their odds are based on their cumulative record over the past two seasons. The Dallas Wings finished with a combined record of 19-65 in the 2024 and 2025 seasons, followed by the Chicago Sky (23-61), Los Angeles Sparks (29-55), Washington Mystics (30-54) and Connecticut Sun (39-45).

However, things won’t be as simple this season as three teams – Sky, Sparks and Sun – do not own the rights to their first-round pick. Minnesota acquired the Sky’s 2026 first-round pick in a trade earlier this year and could walk away with the No. 1 overall pick despite a league-best 34-10 mark.

The sparks exchange their 2026 first-round pick to the Seattle Storm in exchange for Kia Nurse and the Sparks’ fourth overall 2024 WNBA Draft pick (Rickea Jackson) in January 2024. The Sky acquired the right to trade their 2026 first-round picks to the Sun in a July 2024 trade that involved Marina Mabrey going to Connecticut.

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2026 WNBA Draft Odds

Here is how the chances of winning the No. 1 title stack up, according to the WNBA:

• Dallas Wings: 420 chances out of 1000

• Minnesota Lynx: 261 chances out of 1,000

  • The Lynx own the Sky’s first-round pick.

• Seattle Storm: 167 chances out of 1,000

  • The Storm owns the Spark’s first-round pick.

• The Washington Mystics: 97 chances out of 1000

• Chicago Sky: 55 chances out of 1000

  • The Sky owns Connecticut Sun’s first-round pick

Who represents each team in the WNBA draft lottery?

Each team involved in the WNBA Draft Lottery sends a representative:

• Dallas Wings: Forward Maddy Siegrist

• Minnesota Lynx: Guards Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman (The Stud Budz)

• Seattle Storm: Forward Gabby Williams

• The Washington Mystics: Striker Kiki Iriafen

• Chicago Sky: Nadia Rawlinson, co-owner and president of operations

When is the 2026 WNBA Draft?

The 2026 WNBA Draft will take place on Monday, April 13, 2026.

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This article was originally published on USA TODAY: WNBA Draft Lottery 2026: channel, time, odds, how to watch the lottery