NEW YORK, Sept. 12, 2019 – WNBA Draft Lottery 2020 presented by State Farm® will be conducted on Tuesday, Sept. 17 in Secaucus, N.J., the WNBA announced today.
ESPN2 will televise the WNBA Draft Lottery during halftime of its telecast of Game 1 of a Semifinals series between the Connecticut Sun and a yet-to-be-determined opponent, with the playoff game tipping off at 6:30 p.m. ET. WNBA Head of League Operations Bethany Donaphin will reveal the results of the Lottery during ESPN2’s coverage, which will be hosted by John Brickley.
The New York Liberty, Indiana Fever, Dallas Wings and the Atlanta Dream have qualified for the 19th annual Lottery drawing. The winner will secure the top pick in WNBA Draft 2020 presented by State Farm, which will be held next April.
Lottery odds are based on the cumulative records of the two most recent regular seasons (2018 and 2019). With a cumulative record of 17-51, the Liberty will have the most chances to land the top pick (442 out of 1,000) and is guaranteed at least the third pick.
Indiana posted a combined record of 19-49 and will have 276 chances out of 1,000 to win the top pick. Dallas, which registered a two-year record of 25-43, has the third-most chances (178). Atlanta has 104 chances by virtue of its 31-37 record over the past two regular seasons.
In the drawing, 14 balls numbered 1-14 will be placed in a lottery machine and mixed. Four balls will be drawn to determine a four-digit combination. The team assigned that four-ball combination will receive the No. 1 pick. The four balls will then be placed back into the machine and the process will be repeated to determine the second pick. The two teams whose numerical combinations do not come up in the Lottery will select in the inverse order of their two-year cumulative record.
The order of selection for the remainder of the first round as well as the second and third rounds is determined by inverse order of the teams’ respective regular-season records solely from 2019.
A representative from the accounting firm of Ernst & Young will be in attendance to oversee the Lottery process.
This marks the eighth straight year that ESPN networks will televise the WNBA Draft Lottery.
Below are the number of chances for teams to land the top pick in WNBA Draft Lottery 2020 presented by State Farm.
WNBA DRAFT LOTTERY 2020 PRESENTED BY STATE FARM®
Team Combined Chances
2018-2019 Record (out of 1,000)
New York 17-51 442
Indiana 19-49 276
Dallas 25-43 178
Atlanta 31-37 104