The Cooper Flagg sweepstakes will have a lot more clarity Monday evening when the NBA conducts its annual draft lottery and determines the official order for the June 25-26 proceedings.
The Utah Jazz (17-65 this past season), Washington Wizards (18-64) and Charlotte Hornets (19-63) have the best odds to win the lottery, and could all use a player like Flagg to accelerate their rebuilding process.
However, there’s still a mathematical chance that any of 14 teams could wind up with the No. 1 pick if the ping pong balls fall just right.
Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s draft lottery:
What time is NBA draft lottery?
The draft lottery gets underway on Monday, May 12, at 7 p.m. ET.
How to watch NBA draft lottery
- TV: ESPN
- Streaming: ESPN+, Fubo
How does NBA draft lottery work?
According to the NBA, ‘Fourteen ping-pong balls numbered 1 through 14 will be placed in a lottery machine. There are 1,001 possible combinations when four balls are drawn out of 14, without regard to their order of selection. Before the lottery, 1,000 of those 1,001 combinations will be assigned to the 14 participating lottery teams.
‘All 14 balls are placed in the lottery machine and they are mixed for 20 seconds, and then the first ball is removed. The remaining balls are mixed in the lottery machine for another 10 seconds, and then the second ball is drawn. There is a 10-second mix, and then the third ball is drawn. There is a 10-second mix, and then the fourth ball is drawn. The team that has been assigned that combination will receive the No. 1 pick. The same process is repeated with the same ping-pong balls and lottery machine for the second through fourth picks.’
The remaining lottery teams are slotted in order of their draft odds.
The lottery is conducted in a separate room just before ESPN’s draft lottery show. Select media, NBA officials and representatives of the participating teams and the accounting firm Ernst & Young will be in attendance in the room for the drawings.
2025 NBA draft lottery odds
Percent chance of winning the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft:
- Utah Jazz: 14%
- Washington Wizards: 14%
- Charlotte Hornets: 14%
- New Orleans Pelicans: 12.5%
- Philadelphia 76ers: 10.5% (pick may be conveyed to Oklahoma City if it falls outside of the top six)
- Brooklyn Nets: 9%
- Toronto Raptors: 7.5%
- San Antonio Spurs: 6%
- Phoenix Suns: 3.8% (Pick to Houston via Brooklyn)
- Portland Trail Blazers: 3.7%
- Dallas Mavericks: 1.8%
- Chicago Bulls: 1.7%
- Sacramento Kings: 0.8% (pick may be conveyed to Atlanta if it’s not in the top 12)
- Atlanta Hawks: 0.7% (pick to San Antonio)
The three teams with the best odds – the Jazz, Wizards and Hornets – all have a 52.1% chance of landing a top-four pick.