The WNBA’s annual talent reshuffling delivered a familiar outcome Monday evening. For the second straight year, the Dallas Wings secured the No. 1 pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, extending a rare two-year stretch of lottery fortune for a franchise already reshaped by Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers.
The results were revealed by WNBA Head of League Operations Bethany Donaphin during ESPN’s 30-minute Draft Lottery Special, marking the 14th consecutive year the network presented the event.
The pups were paid actors 🤣 pic.twitter.com/1G2NeJt4ME
— Dallas Wings (@DallasWings) November 24, 2025
Final WNBA Draft Lottery Order Holds True
For just the fifth time in lottery history, the results unfolded exactly in order of the assigned odds. The full 2026 WNBA Draft Lottery order is as follows:
1. Dallas Wings — 19–65 (420 chances)
2. Minnesota Lynx (via Chicago Sky) — 23–61 (261 chances)
3. Seattle Storm (via Los Angeles Sparks) — 29–55 (167 chances)
4. Washington Mystics — 30–54 (97 chances)
5. Chicago Sky (via Connecticut Sun) — 39–45 (55 chances)
Representatives for each franchise appeared on the live broadcast:
— Dallas: Maddy Siegrist (Forward)
— Minnesota: Courtney Williams (Guard) and Natisha Hiedeman (Guard)
— Seattle: Gabby Williams (Forward)
— Washington: Kiki Iriafen (Forward)
— Chicago: Co-owner and operating chairman Nadia Rawlinson
Wings Capitalize on Consecutive Opportunities
Dallas entered the night with the most combinations (420 of 1,000) and was again rewarded. The franchise is in the midst of a multilayered transformation — securing back-to-back No. 1 picks, hiring former longtime USF head coach José Fernandez earlier this offseason, and preparing to open a new practice facility ahead of the 2026 WNBA season.
Last November, the Wings won the lottery for the first time in team history and used the top pick on Bueckers, who delivered an All-Star starting nod and the WNBA Rookie of the Year award.
“There’s so many exciting things going around in Dallas,” Siegrist said. “New coach. We’re super excited with José. Practice facility. Obviously a couple top picks the last few years, so we’re just super excited to bring in another great prospect.”
She added that the team’s young core and continuity have created an environment where the next addition can integrate quickly.
“Just somebody who wants to win,” Siegrist said. “We have an exciting young group, and we really bond together. So I’m excited just to bring somebody else in.”
Winning a second straight top pick places Dallas in an uncommon position: the ability to stack elite WNBA prospects during a narrow window of long-term roster reset, something that could fundamentally shift the franchise’s timeline.
The Wings’ win capped an outcome that matched expectations across the board, joining the 2009, 2015, 2016, and 2018 lotteries as the only instances where probability held perfectly.
The No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) April 14, 2025
PAIGE BUECKERS pic.twitter.com/dEtiGxPeBZ
A Multi-Team Rebuild Era Takes Shape
Minnesota, represented by guards Williams and Hiedeman, will select second as the Lynx continue balancing veteran pieces with long-term roster development. Seattle grabbed the third pick through its earlier deal with Los Angeles, with forward Gabby Williams appearing on its behalf.
Washington, represented by Kiki Iriafen, landed fourth, while Chicago — represented by Nadia Rawlinson — rounded out the top five through a pick originally tied to Connecticut.
Lottery odds were determined by the cumulative records of the WNBA’s five non-playoff teams across the 2024 and 2025 seasons. An Ernst & Young representative oversaw the process for competitive integrity.
The remainder of the 2026 draft order — including the rest of the first round and all later rounds — will be announced at a later date.
