The 2027 WNBA Draft Lottery is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 15, and will air at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN following the UConn vs. Louisville women's basketball game, the league announced Wednesday.
Lottery odds and expansion teams
The WNBA revealed the official odds for the new seven-team lottery, with the Houston Comets (formerly Connecticut Sun) and the Toronto Tempo sharing the best odds for the No. 1 overall pick at 32.9% each. The league uses two-season aggregate records to determine lottery odds, but for the two expansion teams, the Tempo and Portland Fire, only their 2026 record is considered. The Comets went 22-66 over the last two seasons, while the Tempo were 11-33 in their inaugural campaign. Both teams posted a .250 winning percentage, leading the league to combine their lottery combinations and divide them evenly.
Full lottery odds
The complete odds for the No. 1 pick are as follows:
Houston Comets (22-66, .250): 32.9%
Toronto Tempo (11-33, .250): 32.9%
Chicago Sky (26-62, .295): 16.1% (pick owed to Washington Mystics via swap)
Seattle Storm (31-57, .352): 9.3%
Portland Fire (17-27, .386): 5.2%
Los Angeles Sparks (37-51, .420): 2.4% (will have two lottery selections after acquiring Phoenix Mercury's pick)
Phoenix Mercury (43-45, .489): 1.2% (pick owed to Sparks)
Lottery process
The drawing uses 14 balls numbered 1-14 placed in a lottery machine. Four balls are drawn to determine a four-digit combination, assigning the No. 1 pick to the team holding that combination. The balls are then returned and the process repeats for the second pick. The remaining five lottery teams select in order of worst cumulative winning percentage. Ernst & Young will oversee the process.
Tiebreakers and protections
Houston went 1-2 against Toronto in the 2026 regular season, meaning the Comets cannot fall lower than the third pick. Toronto is guaranteed at least the fourth pick.
Top prospects
USC star JuJu Watkins is the clear favorite to be selected No. 1 overall, assuming she declares for the draft. The 6-foot-2 wing missed the previous season with a torn ACL but is eligible for a fifth year in 2027-28 after taking a medical redshirt. Other notable prospects include Texas forward Madison Booker, Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo, Kansas guard S'Mya Nichols, LSU guards Mikaylah Williams and MiLaysia Fulwiley, and Kentucky center Clara Strack. Internationally, French teenagers Sarah Cissé, the 2026 U20 EuroBasket Women MVP, and Aïnhoa Risacher, sister of former NBA No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher, are potential first-round picks.
