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2027 WNBA Draft lottery details announced: Date, time, teams, odds and No. 1 pick favorite
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- 2027 WNBA Draft lottery details announced: Date, time, teams, odds and No. 1 pick favorite
As the battle to crown a WNBA champion continues , fans can also look forward to a reveal of who will own the 2027 No. 1 pick.
The WNBA draft lottery will air Sunday, Nov. 15 on ESPN, the league announced Wednesday.
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Since 2017, the Las Vegas Aces and Dallas Wings have each had three No. 1 picks. The Indiana Fever selected Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark with their No. 1 picks in 2023 and 2024. The Wings also made two No. 1 selections back-to-back, selecting Paige Bueckers in 2025 and Azzi Fudd in 2026.
Here's everything to know about the upcoming WNBA draft lottery:
What time is the 2027 WNBA Draft lottery?
The 2027 WNBA Draft lottery will be broadcast on ESPN on Sunday, Nov. 15, at 7:30 p.m. ET, after the UConn vs. Louisville women's basketball game. For viewers in Canada, TSN will also air coverage of the event.
Who will announce the results?
During the 30-minute WNBA Draft Lottery Special, Bethany Donaphin, the WNBA's Head of League Operations, will reveal the results of the lottery as she has done since 2018. Before that year, the selections were announced in various ways, including by "SportsCenter" and ESPN2 anchors.
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Which teams will participate in the draft lottery?
The Houston Comets, Los Angeles Sparks, Portland Fire, Seattle Storm, Toronto Tempo and Washington Mystics will take part in the 26th annual WNBA draft lottery.
All of those teams missed the 2026 WNBA playoffs except for the Mystics, who are in the running for the No. 1 pick thanks to savvy moves by their front office. Jamila Wideman was their general manager at the time, but left the team in April after reported strategic differences that arose in free agency. Coach Sydney Johnson assumed control of basketball operations with support from Mystics staff after Wideman's exit.
What trades will impact the draft?
The Mystics possess the first-round pick of the Chicago Sky, who went 16-28 this season and 26-62 over the last two seasons. Washington secured the Sky's pick after a trade that sent two-time All-Star guard Ariel Atkins to the Sky for the 2025 No. 3 pick (Sonia Citron), the rights to swap 2027 first-round picks with Chicago as well as the Sky's 2027 second-round pick.
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The Phoenix Mercury traded their first-round pick to the Los Angeles Sparks in August as part of the Kelsey Plum deal. Monique Akoa Makani and a 2028 second-round draft pick went to the Sparks.
What will determine the odds?
The WNBA draft lottery determines the first two overall picks using a ping-pong ball machine.
In the drawing, 14 balls numbered 1-14 will be placed in a lottery machine and mixed. Four balls will be drawn to determine a four-digit combination. The team assigned that four-ball combination will receive the No. 1 pick. The four balls will then be placed back into the machine and the process will be repeated to determine the second pick.
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The remaining lottery teams are slotted in order of their two-year cumulative records.
Since the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo are second-season expansion teams, their records from this past season will be used.
The Connecticut Sun, who will become the Houston Comets, have an identical winning percentage with the Tempo (.250), so each will receive 329 combinations — the most of any of the teams. Houston was 1-2 against Toronto in the 2026 regular season (the first tiebreaker) and, therefore, cannot fall further than the third pick. Toronto is guaranteed at least the fourth pick.
The Mystics (via the Sky) will have the third-most chances (161) to win the top pick. Seattle (31-57) has the fourth-most chances with 93 and Portland (17-27) has the fifth-most with 52.
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The Sparks will have 24 chances due to their own 37-51 cumulative record paired with the extra opportunities from their trade with the Mercury.
Who is the favorite to be the 2027 No. 1 overall WNBA pick?
USC star JuJu Watkins will be the favorite for the 2027 No. 1 pick if she leaves the Trojans after this season, but Texas forward Madison Booker and Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo are also projected lottery picks.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2027 WNBA Draft lottery details announced: Date, time, teams, odds and No. 1 pick favorite
