NBA Draft Lottery: How To Watch And Odds Of Winning Top Pick

It’s lottery time in the NBA, a made-for-TV event that will determine the order of the 2022 draft. Here is a look at the odds, as well as how to watch, etc.

How to Watch

• When: Tuesday, May 17, 8 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN | Streaming: fuboTV

Odds of Winning Top Pick

• Houston – 14%
• Orlando – 14%
• Detroit – 14%
• Oklahoma City – 12.5%
• Indiana – 10.5%
• Portland – 9%
• Sacramento – 7.5%
• New Orleans (via LA Lakers) – 6%
• San Antonio – 4.5%
• Washington – 3%
• New York – 2%
• Oklahoma City (via LA Clippers) – 1.5%
• Charlotte – 1%
• Cleveland – 0.5%

Lottery Explained

Per CBS Sports: “The lottery itself is built around ping pong balls. A total of 14 are placed in a machine, each with a number between one 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.

“… 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.”

There is no clear-cut favorite for the top pick when it comes to prospects. Candidates include Auburn’s Jabari Smith, Duke’s Paolo Banchero and Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren.