The 2023 NBA Draft Lottery, which takes place in a matter of minutes, just might be one of the most consequential random drawings to determine the order of draft positions in a generation -- and possibly since the NBA Draft Lottery began in 1985, if we're cool leaning into a little hyperbole. This year's draft lottery is set to go down at 8 p.m. Tuesday in Chicago with the landing spot for French superstar Victor Wembanyama hanging in the balance.
Wembanyama is the clear No. 1 prospect in the 2023 draft class just one month out from the draft itself, and so far we can only speculate with statistical odds on where his future will be. Detroit, Houston and San Antonio all have the highest percentage of 14%, of landing him in the lottery. But Charlotte has a 12.5% chance and Portland has a 10.5% chance, too, and the fate of where he will land will be left up to some ping-pong balls and a lottery machine.
The lottery itself will be held behind closed doors in a private room with a select group of people prior to the lottery show going live. Those results will be held behind lock and key and then given to deputy commissioner Mark Tatum to read live on the air as part of a big reveal. There, we will learn the exact order of the 2023 lottery, setting in stone exactly how the first and second round will go down on draft night.
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How to watch the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery
- Date: Tuesday, May 16
- Time: 8 p.m. ET
- TV channel: ESPN | Streaming: fuboTV (try for free)
2023 NBA Draft Lottery odds
Odds to finish in the top four of the NBA Draft Lottery
| | Team | Pick 1 | Pick 2 | Pick 3 | Pick 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Detroit | 14.00% | 13.42% | 12.74% | 11.97% |
| | Houston | 14.00% | 13.42% | 12.74% | 11.97% |
| | San Antonio | 14.00% | 13.42% | 12.74% | 11.97% |
| 4 | Charlotte | 12.50% | 12.23% | 11.89% | 11.46% |
| 5 | Portland | 10.50% | 10.54% | 10.55% | 10.52% |
| 6 | Orlando | 9.00% | 9.20% | 9,41% | 9.61% |
| 7 | Indiana | 6.80% | 7.13% | 7.50% | 7.93% |
| 8 | Washington | 6.70% | 7.03% | 7.41% | 7.84% |
| 9 | Utah | 4.50% | 4.83% | 5.23% | 5.71% |
| 10 | Dallas - x | 3.00% | 3.27% | 3.60% | 4.01% |
| 11 | Chicago - y | 1.80% | 1.98% | 2.21% | 2.50% |
| 12 | Oklahoma City | 1.70% | 1.88% | 2.09% | 2.37% |
| 13 | Toronto | 1.00% | 1.11% | 1.25% | 1.42% |
| 14 | New Orleans | 0.50% | 0.56% | 0.63% | 0.72% |
X- Dallas' pick may be conveyed to New York
y - Chicago's pick may be conveyed to Orlando
Projected lottery selections
The top 14 players in the latest Big Board of NBA Draft prospects. For the full list of top 60 prospects click here.
| RK | PLAYER | SCHOOL | YEAR | POS | HT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Victor Wembanyama | France | - | C | 7-4 |
| 2 | Scoot Henderson | G League Ignite | - | PG | 6-2 |
| 3 | Brandon Miller | Alabama | Fr | SF | 6-9 |
| 4 | Cam Whitmore | Villanova | Fr | SF | 6-7 |
| 5 | Amen Thompson | Overtime Elite | - | SF | 6-7 |
| 6 | Ausar Thompson | Overtime Elite | - | SF | 6-7 |
| 7 | Keyonte George | Baylor | Fr | SG | 6-4 |
| 8 | Cason Wallace | Kentucky | Fr | PG | 6-4 |
| 9 | Anthony Black | Arkansas | Fr | PG | 6-7 |
| 10 | Jarace Walker | Houston | Fr | PF | 6-8 |
| 11 | Gradey Dick | Kansas | Fr | SF | 6-8 |
| 12 | Nick Smith Jr. | Arkansas | Fr | SG | 6-5 |
| 13 | Jalen Hood-Schifino | Indiana | Fr | PG | 6-6 |
| 14 | Jordan Hawkins | UConn | Soph | SG | 6-5 |
How the NBA Draft Lottery works
The lottery does not actually determine the order of the entire first round or even the entire "lottery" section of it. Only the top four picks are determined via lottery, and all subsequent picks are awarded based on record. The lottery itself is built around ping-pong balls. A total of 14 are placed in a machine, each with a number between 1 and 14. Four ping-pong balls are drawn, and that creates a four-number combination that belongs to one of the 14 teams in the mix.
Each team is awarded a fixed number of combinations based on their record. There are 1,000 total combinations, and the three worst teams each receive 140 of them. The team that has the combination drawn first receives the No. 1 overall pick. The process is then repeated three more times to determine who will pick No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4. All of this takes place behind closed doors, with only representatives from the participating teams, the media and the accounting firm of Ernst & Young present for the drawing. The order has been determined by the time the broadcast begins, at which point NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum will pull the owners of each of the top 14 picks out of envelopes starting at No. 14 and working backward from there.
