The WNBA said Friday the league’s draft lottery will be broadcast Sunday, Nov. 23 on ESPN.
The 30-minute special will feature the Dallas Wings, Minnesota Lynx, Seattle Storm, Washington Mystics, and the Chicago Sky. The Lynx and Storm traded into the lottery, which includes the bottom five teams in the league with their odds sorted by their two-year cumulative record.
The Lynx own the Sky’s first round pick as a result of a 2024 trade Chicago made to move up in the draft. They acquired the No. 7 overall pick in 2024 from the Lynx, which they used to select Angel Reese, in exchange for the No. 8 overall pick that year, Sika Koné, a 2025 second-round pick, and the right to swap 2026 first round picks to the Lynx. The Storm acquired the Los Angeles Sparks’ lottery pick in a 2024 trade for Kia Nurse and their No. 4 overall pick that year.
As a result, the Lynx—who finished first in the league this season—have the second best odds to get the No. 1 overall pick in 2026, just behind the Wings and head of the Storm. The Mystics are fourth and the Sky are fifth.
Though most of the college basketball season remains to be played, UCLA’s Lauren Betts and TCU’s Olivia Miles are currently considered the top pro prospects.
The Sky are still in the lottery despite the 2024 trade with the Lynx because they acquired the Connecticut Sun’s first round pick in exchange for guard Marina Mabrey, whom they dealt midseason in 2024 at her request. They also received guards Rachel Banham and Moriah Jefferson in that trade which included sending their 2025 second round pick to Connecticut.
The WNBA draft is scheduled for April 13, 2026 but cannot take place until a new collective bargaining agreement is ratified.
The union and league agreed to a 30-day extension last week, making their new deadline Nov. 30.
The expansion draft and free agency will also be on hold until both sides reach an agreement. Last year’s expansion draft took place in December. This time around, the league will conduct a draft for two teams: the Toronto Tempo and the Portland Fire.
The league has never lost games to a work stoppage but came close in 2003 which took until April to reach an agreement. The WNBA draft and preseason were both delayed as a result.
