WNBA Draft Lottery announced: Updated odds for each team to win the No. 1 overall pick in 2025

For four of the WNBA’s most snakebitten teams, the 2025 Draft Lottery could be a blessing. It just depends on the luck of the draw.

The W’s future looks as bright as ever, with Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston and Angel Reese spearheading a youth movement that has left its mark on the top tier of women’s basketball.

Reinforcements are on the way, too: UConn guard Paige Bueckers, USC forward Kiki Iriafen and UCLA forward Janiah Barker are just a few of the draft-eligible prospects expected to make an impact at the next level as soon as next year.

Bueckers is the chosen name of the group; He is a master of playmaking who is as adept at shooting baskets as he is at making them. Next Hoops’ Emily Adler said the Huskies’ standout was “inside perception, incredible court mapping and an absolute savant of playmaking.” final mock draft. He also noted that Bueckers is one of the most impressive off-ball defenders in college basketball, using his quickness, length, screen navigation skills and intelligence to hurt opposing attacks.

If Clark and the Fever have proven anything in their historic first season in the W, it’s that good quarterback play can be a strong indicator of success. Bueckers looks to slot seamlessly into the lead guard role once she makes the jump to the WNBA. What franchise will he be in when he does this? It’s anyone’s guess.

MORE: Sue Bird credits Caitlin Clark’s ‘logo 3s’ with WNBA breakthrough

With that said, here’s what you need to know about the machinations behind the 2025 WNBA Draft Lottery.

WNBA Draft lottery announced

The WNBA uses one of the sport’s more unique formats to determine draft lottery order.

Typically, draft lotteries take the previous season’s record into consideration when calculating the odds. The WNBA inverts this concept by combining teams’ records from the previous two seasons to create a cumulative record. The team with the worst cumulative record receives the best odds for the upcoming WNBA Draft.

WRISTWATCH: Stream the WNBA Draft on Sling TV

Comprising just 13 franchises, the W is still outnumbered. Therefore, the lottery consists of only four teams, and these four teams have the worst cumulative record over the last two years: Sparks, Wings, Sky and Mystics.

The Sparks posted a 25-55 record over the past two seasons, the worst in the WNBA. Therefore, they have the best chance to win the No. 1 pick.

The odds change as follows before Sunday’s draw.

The first four selections are determined by four-digit combination. Balls from 1 to 14 are randomly selected to create a four-digit code. The team with this combination wins the first pick and so on until it finishes in the top four.

Sparks is the most likely candidate for the first overall pick. Despite their poor performance over the last two seasons, they are full of potential as they took Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson in last year’s draft. Los Angeles desperately needs a general secretary who will lead the team into the future. Bueckers seems capable of filling this gap.

The Wings and Sky finished with records of 31-49. The difference between the odds for the second- and third-place teams is split so that each side has the same probability of landing the No. 1 pick. But Dallas will almost certainly have a higher pick than Chicago, having received a first-round pick trade in 2025 in the deal that brought Marina Mabrey to the Windy City.

The Mystics round out the WNBA’s Gang of Four. In the weeks since the season ended, Washington has gone through its share of major upheavals, making major changes to the coaching staff and front office. Aliyah Edwards and Shakira Austin could make a devastating combination in the post. But they didn’t play together for that month; Austin is still recovering from a re-injury to his surgically repaired hip.