- NBA. Nets make bold lottery move ahead of Cooper Flagg sweepstakes
- Los Angeles Lakers. Lebron James Combine Stats: How did "The King" during his tryouts before being overall No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft?
The fate of half the NBA is on the line tonight as the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery prepares to shake up the league's future. Fourteen teams, seven from each conference, are holding their breath as ping pong balls determine who will land the coveted No. 1 overall pick--and potentially the next face of the franchise.
While most professional leagues reward poor performance with better draft positions, the NBA adds a twist to avoid outright "tanking." Since 1985, the league has used a lottery system to keep things competitive and unpredictable, and since 2019, the bottom three teams each get a 14% shot at the top pick--no guarantees, no promises.
14 teams have a chance to have the top pick
The stakes couldn't be higher. This year's lottery includes struggling powerhouses and rebuilding hopefuls alike:
Eastern Conference: Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors, and Washington Wizards
Western Conference: Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, New Orleans Pelicans, and Portland Trail Blazers
Even the worst-performing team is guaranteed a pick no lower than fifth, but with highly touted prospects expected in the 2025 class, even a single drop in draft order could change a team's trajectory for years.
The lottery is held behind closed doors
The actual lottery drawing takes place behind closed doors in a secure room with NBA officials, select media, and a neutral observer, but fans can catch the televised results starting at 7:00 p.m. ET by ESPN. The entire NBA world will be watching as fortunes are made--and dreams dashed--in mere minutes.
Will a perennial underdog land the top pick? Or will a big-market team strike gold and accelerate its rebuild? Stay tuned.
Fans have already started to come up with theories.
Everything fell into place for Nico Harrison after what happened with Luka Doncic, with the initial reaction on social media being one of disbelief.
The Mavericks surprise everyone by hitting the jackpot.
The Dallas Mavericks have never won the lottery.
Just over 1% chance of winning.
That's crazy.
Dallas takes home the prize! Impressive!
1. Mavericks
2. Spurs
3. 76ers
4. Hornets
11. Trailblazers 10. Rockets 9. Raptors 8. Nets 7. Pelicans 6. Wizards 5. Jazz
The top 4 will be announced shortly.
12. Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls will select the 12th overall pick in the NBA Draft.
13. Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks will pick at pick 13 via the Sacramento Kings.
14. San Antonio Spurs
Spurs sneak into top spot.
Time is ticking
In about 10 minutes we will have the first updates!!
Which teams have the best odds?
Based on their 2024-2025 season records, Utah, Washington, and Charlotte hold the best chances--each with a 14% probability of landing the No. 1 pick. As the worst-performing team, the Utah Jazz are guaranteed a top-five pick.
Who will announce the results of the NBA Draft Lottery?
NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum overseeing the drawing and announcing the results to the public. The 2025 NBA Draft itself will follow six weeks later on June 25 and 26 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
How to watch the NBA Draft Lottery
Fans can tune in to ESPN for the live broadcast of the results, while NBA Hub will offer streaming options.
NBA Lottery Secrets Exposed: How ping-pong balls and 10-second mixes decide the fate of franchises
As the future of struggling NBA franchises hangs in the balance, many fans are left wondering: How does the NBA Draft Lottery really work? The answer involves a high-stakes game of chance, precision timing, and ping-pong balls--literally.
The NBA's draft lottery process is a carefully structured event designed to ensure fairness while also discouraging teams from tanking. The system decides the order of the top 14 picks in the NBA Draft, impacting franchises that failed to make the postseason. Here's how it unfolds behind the curtain.
The drawing determines the top four picks in the draft. After those are locked in, the remaining 10 lottery teams are slotted in positions 5 through 14 based on reverse regular-season record.
Chance defines everything
But the real drama starts with 14 ping-pong balls numbered 1 through 14. These balls are placed into a lottery machine and mixed for 20 seconds before the first one is drawn. Then it's 10 seconds of mixing per ball as the second, third, and fourth balls are drawn--completing a four-number combination.
Out of the 1,001 possible combinations, 1,000 are distributed among the 14 lottery teams prior to the drawing. The team assigned to the winning combination gets the No. 1 pick. This process is repeated to determine picks two through four. Each step is monitored by a representative from the Ernst & Young ing firm to guarantee transparency.
The entire drawing occurs in a private room, locked off from the outside world, including the TV broadcast audience. Not even team representatives or the league's own media partners know the results until the official envelopes are opened live on air.
The evolution of a very simple process
Before this elaborate process was implemented in 1985, the league relied on a much simpler (and now outdated) method: a coin flip. From 1966 to 1984, the teams with the worst record in each conference flipped a coin for the top pick, with the loser receiving the No. 2 pick.
Now, with ping-pong balls replacing coins, the NBA Draft Lottery has become one of the most suspenseful--and secretive--events in professional sports, shaping the league's future one combination at a time.
Thank you for ing us for live coverage of the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery with us. See you next time!