The 2024 WNBA Draft Lottery will occur on Dec. 10, which will officially kick off the start of the offseason. With the actual WNBA Draft set for April. 15, the Indiana Fever, Los Angeles Sparks, Phoenix Mercury, and Seattle Storm all have a shot to land the No. 1 pick.
The 2024 WNBA Draft Lottery presented by @StateFarm is almost here 👀
— WNBA (@WNBA) October 31, 2023
Tune in to ESPN on December 10 at 4:30pm/ET to see who will get the #1 pick! pic.twitter.com/4q8DwJP3oP
The WNBA Draft Lottery process will begin on Dec. 10, which is ironically the same day as the 2023 Basketball Hall of Fame Women's showcase at Mohegan Sun Arena. With the Fever, Sparks, Mercury, and Storm all qualifying for top picks, there is a process for lottery odds that I will explain further. With all four teams finishing under .500 last season, the Fever have the best odds of securing the No.1 pick. When it comes to lottery odds, it's based off a team's collective record over the past two seasons.
2024 WNBA First Round Draft Order
1-4: Yet to be determined
5. Dallas Wings (Via Chicago Sky)
6. Washington Mystics
7. Minnesota Lynx
8. Atlanta Dream
9. Dallas Wings
10. Connecticut Sun
11. New York Liberty
12. Los Angeles Sparks (Via Las Vegas Aces)
WNBA Draft Lottery Odds
| Team | 2022-2023 Cumulative Record | Chance per 1,000 |
| 1.Indiana Fever | 18-58 | 442 |
| 2. Phoenix Mercury | 24-53 | 276 |
| 3. Los Angeles Sparks | 30-46 | 178 |
| 4. Seattle Storm | 33-43 | 104 |
Indiana Fever, 44 % odds
may the odds be in our favor. 🔮
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) October 31, 2023
tune in to the @WNBA Draft Lottery on December 10.
📝 https://t.co/FyeFYkktBu pic.twitter.com/x8Wsnq2zVV
If Indiana does in fact grab the No. 1, the organization will have back-to-back first overall picks, selecting Aliyah Boston last year. Indiana, who finished with a 13-27 overall record, once again have the best odds after finishing under .500 for seven straight seasons. The Fever, led by head coach Christie Sides, now have a chance to make a statement in the league, if granted the top pick. With that said, Indiana has a 44 % chance of landing the No.1 pick and will not slide any further than No. 3 overall. After finishing 18-58 after two seasons, Indiana looks to build around Boston.
Phoenix Mercury, 28 % odds
20 years ago today, we won the WNBA Draft Lottery. Securing the #1 pick, our franchise went on to draft Diana Taurasi!
— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) December 3, 2023
Days Until Draft Lottery: 7️⃣ pic.twitter.com/5rkKUPWw0d
The Phoenix Mercury, who finished a league worst 9-31, currently have the second-best odds of landing the first pick. With Nate Tibbetts officially introduced as the organizations newest head coach, it was announced Kristi Toliver was named associate coach this week. Toliver, 37, has spent 14 years in the WNBA, and recently tore her ACL as a member with the Washington Mystics. The Mercury, led by Diana Taurasi and Britney Griner, have a 24-52 record over two seasons. Overall, they have a 28 % chance of the first pick.
Los Angeles Sparks, 18 % odds
1 week away.
— Los Angeles Sparks (@LASparks) December 3, 2023
The Sparks have a 17.8% chance at the No. 1 pick.
Where do you think we land, Sparks fam? pic.twitter.com/oOwmWQCmh0
The Los Angeles Sparks have an 18 % chance of landing the top draft pick. Led by Curt Miller, Los Angeles fell short of a playoff run, finishing with a 17-23 in the 2023 season. With a 30-46 record over two seasons, the Sparks will continue to build around Jordin Canada, Zia Cooke, and of course Nneka Ogwumike.
Seattle Storm, 10 % odds
For the first time since 2016 the @seattlestorm are back in the WNBA Draft Lottery presented by @StateFarm 🏀
— WNBA (@WNBA) December 5, 2023
Let’s take a look back at when they won the Draft Lottery in 2015 and 2016, landing @jewellloyd and @breannastewart as their #1 picks
Tune in to the 2024 WNBA Draft… pic.twitter.com/zBrD7tIRpP
Since the departure of Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird, The Seattle Storm, led by Jewell Loyd, finished 11-29 last season, and have a combined 33-43 record over the last few seasons. With a 10 % chance of grabbing the No. 1 spot, the Storm will look to rebuild after their recent championship success. I will say, a combined 33-43 cumulative record over two seasons isn't indicative of how this team is structured now. Both Stewart and Bird contribute to that record, and the Storm are in a complete rebuild mode.
How the WNBA Draft lottery process takes place
Along with a cumulative record over the past two seasons, much like the lottery, there will be a total of 14 balls placed. With four teams in the mix, means four balls will be drawn out of the machine. In a simple process, whichever team assigned a certain four-digit combination will "receive the No. 1 pick," per WNBA. After, those four balls will be put back in the machine to determine which team will be granted to No. 2 pick.
The 2024 WNBA Draft is projecting Iowa guard Caitlin Clark to be selected as the No.1 pick. Along with Clark, UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers, and center Aaliyah Edwards are eligeable for the draft. Stanford forward Cameron Brink and LSU transfer Hailey Van Lith are all projected top selections. However, both Clark and Bueckers have the options to return to their respective programs. Angel Reese (LSU), Georgia Amoore (Virginia Tech), Rickea Jackson (Tennessee), Kamila Cardoso (South Carolina), Jacy Sheldon (Ohio State), Deja Kelly (North Carolina), and Elizabeth Kitley (Virginia Tech) are all projected 2024 picks. If Clark and Bueckers were to forgo the 2024 WNBA Draft, that would change the projection drastically.
The Lottery will take place at 4:30 p.m. EST.
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Sara Jane Gamelli is a full-time Sportswriter at Ballislife, and Sports Content Creator on Twitch and TikTok. She has a focus on the NBA, WNBA, NCAA Basketball, and the NFL. Sara Jane currently resides in Connecticut/NYC area with her Cat and Dog. SJ has her undergraduate degree from the University of Connecticut in Economics, with a minor in business administration.