NBA Draft Lottery 2024: How does it work? The format explained

The 2024 NBA Draft Lottery will take place on Sunday 12 May, starting at 3 p.m. ET, and will determine the order in which the 14 non-playoff franchises will select their picks for the main draft, scheduled for 26 and 27 June at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

How the NBA Draft Lottery works

Here’s how the system works: 14 ping-pong balls are placed in a drum and numbered from 1 to 14, resulting in 1,001 potential combinations. Based on their position in the league, each team is assigned a specific set of numbers from those 1,001 combinations.

For example, the Detroit Pistons have 140 possible combinations out of 1,001 after securing the unenviable title of being the worst team in the NBA in the 2023/24 regular season. This equates to a 14% probability of obtaining the number 1 pick.

In this draw, 14 balls are introduced, and four are randomly selected to determine the winner of the numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4 picks. The remaining 10 picks are determined based on the teams’ records of victories in the regular league, their positions after tiebreakers if necessary, and any changes made through transfers.

Chances of getting number one

1. Detroit Pistons (14-68) - 14% chance of number 1 pick.

2. Washington Wizards (15-67) - 14%.

3. Charlotte Hornets (21-61) - 13.3%.

4. Portland Trail Blazers (21-61) - 13.2%.

5. San Antonio Spurs (22-60) - 10.5%.

6. Toronto Raptors (25-57) - 9%.

7. Memphis Grizzlies (27-55) - 7.5%.

8. Utah Jazz (31-51) - 6%.

9. Brookyln Nets (32-50) transferred to Houston Rockets - 4.5%.

10. Atlanta Hawks (36-46) - 3%.

11. Chicago Bulls (39-43) - 2%.

12. Houston Rockets (41-41) - 1.5%.

13. Sacramento Kings (46-36) - 0.8%.

14. Golden State Warriors (46-36) - 0.7%.