2026 NBA Draft Lottery: Odds, Rules, and Watch Guide

The 2026 NBA Draft lottery is Sunday, May 10 at 3 p.m. ET in Chicago to determine the top four picks for the June draft. Fourteen lottery teams will be represented, with the Wizards, Pacers and Nets each holding 14% odds for No. 1, and other odds ranging from 11.5% down to 0.5% for the remaining slots; the drawing uses 14 ping‑pong balls and 1,001 possible combinations. The No. 1–4 picks are decided in the lottery, while the rest of the first 14 picks follow inverse order of regular-season results. The event will be televised on ABC/ESPN with streaming on ESPN Unlimited and Fubo, and while new lottery rules are rumored for next year, they’re not in effect yet. Top prospects highlighted include AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer.