Washington Wizards won the No. 1 selection in the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery, which took place on Sunday, May 10, in Chicago, Illinois. The Wizards, who posted the league’s worst record this season, will now have the first overall pick in the upcoming draft.
Three picks in Sunday’s lottery were subject to trades: the Oklahoma City Thunder owned the Los Angeles Clippers’ pick (1.5% chance at No. 1, 7.1% chance at top 4) from the 2019 Paul George blockbuster. The Indiana Pacers’ pick was set to go to the Clippers if it fell outside the top 4 (from the Ivica Zubac trade). Additionally, the Atlanta Hawks had the right to choose the better pick between the New Orleans Pelicans’ and the Milwaukee Bucks’.
The Washington Wizards became the first team under the current lottery format to land the No. 1 pick after finishing with the worst regular-season record. This marks the third time the franchise has earned the top overall pick under its current name; previously, the Wizards held the No. 1 selection in 2001 and 2010, and the franchise also secured the first pick twice as the Chicago Zephyrs (1961) and once as the Chicago Packers (1961). The last time the Wizards had the No. 1 pick was in 2010, when they selected John Wall.
Full 2026 NBA Draft Lottery results:
1. Washington Wizards
2. Utah Jazz
3. Memphis Grizzlies
4. Chicago Bulls
5. Los Angeles Clippers (via Indiana Pacers)
6. Brooklyn Nets
7. Sacramento Kings
8. Atlanta Hawks
9. Dallas Mavericks
10. Milwaukee Bucks
11. Golden State Warriors
12. Oklahoma City Thunder (via LA Clippers)
13. Miami Heat
14. Charlotte Hornets
