Despite an ongoing labor dispute and negotiation between the WNBA and its players, the league is moving forward with the WNBA Draft Lottery on Sunday, Nov. 23. It will air on ESPN at 6:30 pm ET and feature the league’s five lottery teams drawing their draft spots for 2026.
Teams that do not make the playoffs the previous season are eligible to draft in the lottery. Since the league expanded to 13 teams this year, keeping its 8-team playoff format, there are five lottery teams. This is also the only season that the 5-team format will stick around, given the league is expanding to 15 teams in 2026. Next season, there will be seven WNBA lottery teams.
Odds are determined by taking the last two seasons of a team’s record into account, and the team with the lowest success rate overall has the best odds at the No. 1 overall pick. Similar to the NBA, teams are designated a certain number of 4-digit numbers based on how high their odds for No. 1 are. The higher your odds, the more 4-digit combinations you get. The league then draws a 4-digit number using lottery balls, and the team that was assigned that specific set of numbers gets the No. 1 pick. They draw another 4-digit number for the No. 2 overall pick, and then picks 3-5 are designated based on worst-to-best record over the past two seasons for the remaining teams.
This year will be a little different than usual, and the first two picks after the lottery will go to the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire as expansion teams. From there, the rest of the first round is determined by the rest of the teams’ season results.
Here is the order of which teams have the best odds going into the 2026 WNBA Draft Lottery:
Dallas Wings (42% chance of getting No. 1)
The Dallas Wings have a 19-65 record over the past two seasons, giving them the best odds of securing the No. 1 overall pick for the second year in a row. This isn’t too out of the blue — the Indiana Fever had the No. 1 pick two seasons in a row in 2023 and 2024, drafting Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark. The Las Vegas Aces (aka San Antonio Stars before 2018) picked first overall in 2017, 2018, and 2019, drafting Kelsey Plum, A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young.
The Wings got the No. 1 pick in 2025, choosing Paige Bueckers out of UConn. Before that, the last time they chose No. 1 overall was in 2021, when they picked Charli Collier. Collier is no longer in the WNBA but plays overseas.
Minnesota Lynx via Chicago Sky (26.1% chance of No.1)
The Chicago Sky have a 23-61 record over the past two seasons, meaning they secured the second-best odds in the draft this season. Yet, due to a trade they made, they don’t own this pick. No matter where the Sky’s original pick lands in the lottery, it goes to the Minnesota Lynx.
The Lynx have chosen No. 1 overall twice in the past — 2011 when they drafted Maya Moore and 2006 when they picked Seimone Augustus. Both turned out to be Naismith Hall of Famers. The Lynx themselves have a 64-20 record over the past two seasons, essentially fleecing the Sky with this trade, and they have the best shot at the No. 2 overall pick in a stacked WNBA Draft class.
The last time the Lynx drafted No. 2 overall was in 2023, choosing Diamond Miller. This season, they traded Miller to Dallas for Dijonai Carrington. The only other time they picked No. 2 overall was in 2010, choosing Monica Wright — now Monica Wright Rogers, Toronto Tempo General Manager.
Seattle Storm via Los Angeles Sparks (16.7% chance at No. 1)
The LA Sparks had the best odds at getting the No. 1 overall pick in 2025, but the lottery balls did not work out for them. They secured the No. 2 pick, but traded it in a three-team trade, sending the pick to Seattle. Seattle sent Jewell Loyd to Las Vegas, and Las Vegas sent Kelsey Plum to the Sparks. Through all of this, Seattle also got LA’s pick from this season.
Seattle has secured the No. 1 pick four times in franchise history. In 2001, they drafted Lauren Jackson, following that up one year later by drafting Sue Bird No. 1 in 2002. That duo went on to win championships in 2004 and 2010 for the Storm, before Jackson retired in 2012. In 2015, the Storm drafted Jewell Loyd No. 1 overall, and drafted Breanna Stewart No. 1 in 2016. Bird, Loyd, and Stewart went on to win championships with the Storm in 2018 and 2020.
The last and only time the Storm picked No. 3 overall was in 2015, picking Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis.
Washington Mystics (9.7% chance at No.1)
The Washington Mystics have been draft wizards (no pun intended) these past few seasons. Last year’s trio of Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen and Georgia Amoore are poised to do great things for the Mystics in the future. Citron and Iriafen had great rookie seasons, making the WNBA’s All-Rookie team and being named All-Stars. Amoore injured herself in training camp, but is expected to return to the lineup in 2026.
The Mystics have only picked No. 1 overall once in league history, drafting Chamique Holdsclaw in 1999. Their predicted No. 4 spot is one they are much more used to. They drafted Iriafen No. 4 in 2025, Stephanie Soares No. 4 in 2023, Tayler Hill No. 4 in 2013, and Asjha Jones No.4 in 2002.
Chicago Sky via Connecticut Sun (5.5% chance of No. 1)
Although not as good as their original pick, the Sky will still get a lottery pick in this year’s draft, thanks to the trade they made to send Marina Mabrey to the Sun. Since the Sun were a (very good) playoff team in 2024, and WNBA lottery data uses the past two seasons to create odds, they have the lowest odds to get the No. 1 pick, likely picking No. 5 overall.
The Chicago Sky have never drafted a player No. 1 in their 20-year history in the league. The highest pick they have ever managed to get is No.2 in 2017 (Alaina Coates), 2013 (Elena Delle Donne), and 2008 (Sylvia Fowles).
They’ve only drafted No. 5 overall one time in history. In 2015, the Sky picked Cheyenne Parker-Tyus fifth overall.
