The Washington Wizards secured the first overall selection in the 2026 NBA draft during Sunday’s tightly guarded lottery drawing at Chicago’s Navy Pier, capping a suspense-filled 90-minute session that reshuffled the top of the draft board.
Fifteen team representatives—one more than the 14 lottery slots because the Los Angeles Clippers held a protected pick from Indiana—were ushered into a conference room one floor above the television set. All phones and computers were confiscated to prevent leaks while NBA officials, team executives and a small group of media members watched the ping-pong balls decide franchise futures.
The winning combination
The draft order was set by four-ball combinations drawn from a hopper containing 14 numbered balls, creating 1,001 possible outcomes. The Wizards, owners of the league’s worst record, held the highest share of those combinations. Their breakthrough came instantly: the first three balls showed 1-2-4, numbers that guaranteed Washington every possible outcome for the final ball. When NBA assistant general counsel Katelyn Cannella West confirmed “Washington,” president Michael Winger silently rubbed his chin, aware the rebuild he sold to owner Ted Leonsis three years ago had just taken a dramatic turn.
Jazz ride long-awaited luck
The Utah Jazz, fifth in odds after an aggressive season of roster stripping, jumped to No. 2. President of basketball operations Austin Ainge, who had told reporters, “I’m going to need [luck],” celebrated with a loud fist pump—the lone breach of the room’s near-total silence. Utah’s rise vindicated a strategy that last year produced only the sixth pick and a $500,000 league fine for blatant tanking.
Memphis cashes in, Chicago surprises
Memphis Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman watched an initial draw invalidated because it duplicated Utah’s winning combination, but a redraw featuring the numbers 13-4-10-6 delivered Memphis the No. 3 slot. Moments later the Chicago Bulls, entering with the ninth-best odds and a 20 percent chance of moving up, claimed the final top-four position when a 7-6-9-8 sequence hit. Chicago’s leap pushed several teams down a rung, including Brooklyn, which slipped to No. 6 despite two years of deliberate losing.
Clippers collect Pacers’ pick
The Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Clippers were entangled in one of the afternoon’s most intricate subplots. A February trade sent Ivica Zubac to Indiana with a pick-swap provision: if the Pacers finished 5-9, the pick would convey to the Clippers; a top-four finish allowed Indiana to keep it. When Indiana’s last remaining combination failed, front-office staffer Rishabh Desai calmly told reporters, “This worked out for us.” The Clippers will draft fifth.
Final order of top eight
1. Washington Wizards
2. Utah Jazz
3. Memphis Grizzlies
4. Chicago Bulls
5. Los Angeles Clippers (via Pacers)
6. Brooklyn Nets
7. Sacramento Kings
8. Charlotte Hornets
Device-free isolation, prolonged pauses by NBA vice president Matt Doria between lever pulls and hushed calculations by executives turned a process many describe as “boring” into a tense spectacle. When it ended, Winger grabbed a glass of water, his hand shaking, before sharing a quiet moment with mentor Sam Presti of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Outside the sealed room, fans now wait to learn which prospects will turn Sunday’s ping-pong drama into wins on the court.
Source: ESPN.com
