Ever wonder what actually happens during the NBA Draft Lottery and how the results are determined? The first 14 picks are considered to be in the “lottery” region of the NBA Draft, and that is because each of the teams selecting in those positions has a chance to jump up or secure their spot inside the top four.
There are four drawings done by the league and certified by the law firm of Ernst & Young during the official drawing, which begins with 14 ping-pong balls bouncing around inside a tiny machine that will determine a four-digit code to determine who receives what pick. This process starts with the No. 1 pick, with the first four numbers popping up from the lottery machine, revealing four digits assigned to one of the 14 lottery teams.
Each team is given a list of what their combinations are, as there are 1001 different combinations. Ultimately, the final combo of 11-12-13-14 is marked as undecided, and a redraw would take place in the event of this rare collection of four numbers appearing.
Since the Washington Wizards, Indiana Pacers, and Brooklyn Nets finished with the three-worst records in the NBA, they received the best odds at getting the No. 1 pick (14%). Each of these three teams received 140 total four-digit number combinations.
Washington owned all combinations between 1-2-3-4 and 1-4-7-9, while Indiana owned all combos between 1-4-7-10 and 1-10-12-13. The Nets owned all the combinations between 1-10-12-14 and 2-5-12-13, and the list goes on and on for all the teams.
To make things as simple as possible for everyone, four ping-pong balls numbered 1 to 14 pop up from the machine, and those four digits, which are assigned to the teams, determine who receives the No. 1 pick, the No. 2 pick, the No. 3 pick, and the No. 4 pick in the NBA Draft.
The drawing, which the league shared with official video results after the lottery, was conducted on Sunday afternoon in Chicago in a locked room featuring league personnel, executives/representatives for the 14 lottery teams, and media members to watch the drawing. No phones or any sort of devices are allowed in this room, as everyone is locked in on the machine, throwing the balls all around until the four digits are drawn.
Watch the full NBA Draft Lottery 2026 drawing process. pic.twitter.com/UnqrW6f7xg
— NBA (@NBA) May 10, 2026
Among the storylines emerging from the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery on Sunday, aside from the Wizards earning the No. 1 pick, are the hypotheticals of what could've been.
From the Wizards locking up the first pick almost immediately from the first ping-pong ball being drawn to the Utah Jazz coming up twice and almost awarding the Atlanta Hawks with a top-three pick, here's everything you need to know about what actually happened and how the draft almost changed drastically.
Wizards' 100% lottery chances during drawing
Mark Tatum the NBA Deputy Commissioner and Washington Wizard (left) guard John Wall pose for photos after Wizards won the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery at Navy Pier.
David Banks-Imagn Images
Of course, all eyes were on the first drawing to be done, which would determine who gets the No. 1 pick.
This drawing was pretty straightforward, especially with the first number selected being ping-pong ball #4. Right away, this eliminated everyone but Washington, Indiana, Brooklyn, Sacramento, Memphis, and Atlanta from receiving the No. 1 pick.
The next ball selected was #2, meaning only Washington and Brooklyn remained, with both teams having roughly a 50% chance at this point based on the remaining combinations. When the third ball was being pulled, the #1 ball jumped up right before the #12 ball.
I was watching the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery again and I discovered that the No. 1 pick was almost in the hands of the Brooklyn Nets.
The 4-2 first two digit combination for the No. 1 pick essentially made it a 50-50 chance for BKN and WAS.
#1 was next, but #12 right behind. If… pic.twitter.com/SeXPd9q5Ql
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) May 11, 2026
That meant with just three numbers, the Wizards had a 100% chance of securing the top pick in the draft. If the number had been #12 instead, the only combination that would have resulted in the Wizards receiving the first pick would have been 1-2-4-12. Any other number besides the #1 ping-pong ball would've seen the Nets receive the first pick in the draft.
But the #1 ball came up before the #12 ball when the third number was being drawn, resulting in the Wizards instantly winning the lottery. The final number drawn was #13, making the winning combination: 1-2-4-13.
Hawks nearly earned No. 3 pick in lottery
An individual watches the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery at Navy Pier.
David Banks-Imagn Images
Fresh off their second-half run to the NBA Playoffs, the Atlanta Hawks entered the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery with a chance to land the No. 1 pick from two different teams. Along with owning a swap with the Milwaukee Bucks, the Hawks also owned the swap rights with the New Orleans Pelicans, who gave this up willingly to Atlanta during the 2025 NBA Draft to select Derik Queen.
As a result, the Hawks owned the Pelicans' 68 lottery combinations, along with the Bucks' 30 combinations, both of which came with an asterisk since Atlanta would not receive both picks, just whichever was more favorable.
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After the first two picks were determined in favor of Washington and Utah, that is when the draft lottery got interesting.
The drawing for the third pick in the 2026 NBA Draft began, with the first two ping-pong balls being #2 and #8. Immediately, with the No. 2 ball appearing, this combination was going to be in favor of either Washington, Brooklyn, or Utah. The next ball drawn was #11, followed by #7, meaning the 2-7-8-11 combination would go to the Jazz.
If this final number were #1, it would've been Washington again. If that final number was between #3 and #5, the No. 3 pick would've gone to Brooklyn. However, since the Jazz won this selection again after winning the No. 2 pick, this 2-7-8-11 combination was thrown out, and the process for the No. 3 pick started again.
The first number in the redraw was #13, which definitely drew everyone's attention since every lottery team owned at least one combination featuring the number. Next came the #4 ball, meaning only Atlanta, Memphis, Sacramento, Utah, Brooklyn, Indiana, and Washington could receive this combination.
The third number was 10, which meant if the final number was #7 through #14, the Hawks would've walked away with the No. 3 pick in this year's draft. The #1 ball would've meant it was Indiana, the #2 ball was Brooklyn, and the #3 ball was Sacramento. And then there were the Memphis Grizzlies, who would only win the No. 3 pick if the #5 or #6 ball was the final one in this redo drawing.
Despite having basically a 50% chance at this point to see their combination appear, the Hawks had their hearts ripped out when the final number was #6, giving the third pick in the draft to the Grizzlies despite having an 18.2% chance at this stage with one number to go in the combination.
You never know which combination will appear and who will luck out with a top four pick. The Hawks were close, but the third pick in the draft ultimately went to the Grizzlies.
How Bulls earned No. 4 pick
A general view before the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery at Navy Pier.
David Banks-Imagn Images
Immediately following the Grizzlies earning the No. 3 pick in the draft, it was time to decide the final pick to be determined by the lottery system: No. 4 overall.
The first two numbers to pop up were #7 and #6, meaning the Bulls, Pacers, Kings, Hawks, and a redraw were the only five possible outcomes. Chicago was immediately in the driver's seat since 21 of their 45 possible combinations began with #6 and #7.
The third ping-pong ball drawn from the lottery machine was #9, giving the Bulls five possible combinations, a 45.5% chance at having the winning numbers. Indiana, Sacramento, and Atlanta each had one combination remaining, with the other three combinations resulting in a redo, once again, like what happened with Utah earlier.
If the final number was #8, #11, #12, #13, or #14, the No. 4 overall pick would go to the Bulls. Finally, the last ping-pong ball was drawn, and it was #8, giving the Bulls the fourth pick in the 2026 NBA Draft with the 6-7-8-9 combination.
And just like that, the final lottery order was set: Wizards (1), Jazz (2), Grizzlies (3), Bulls (4).
We came close to seeing the Nets jump into the No. 1 spot, and the Hawks secure the third pick, but by the magic of the basketball gods, they were cast aside during the lottery selection. You never know what will happen during the NBA Draft Lottery, and this year delivered some thrilling moments simply based on which ping-pong balls were the luckiest at the opportune time.
Ever wonder what actually happens during the NBA Draft Lottery and how the results are determined? The first 14 picks are considered to be in the “lottery” region of the NBA Draft, and that is because each of the teams selecting in those positions has a chance to jump up or secure their spot inside the top four.