WNBA 2023 Draft Lottery: How to watch, time, teams involved, odds to win the No. 1 pick

The 2023 WNBA Draft Lottery is set for Friday, Nov. 11

By Jack Maloney

Nov 11, 2022 at 11:54 am ET • 3 min read

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The first major event of the WNBA offseason has arrived. On Friday evening, prior to the NCAA showdown between South Carolina and Maryland, the league will hold the 2023 WNBA Draft Lottery. The Indiana Fever, Atlanta Dream, Washington Mystics and Minnesota Lynx will soon find out where they'll be picking next spring.

South Carolina center Aliyah Boston, who was named Naismith College Player of the Year, Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player last season as she led the Gamecocks to the second national championship in school history, is the projected No. 1 overall pick.

She nearly made Team USA's World Cup squad this summer and at 6-foot-5 has the size and athleticism to make an impact in the league immediately. A dominant interior force on both sides of the ball, she is widely seen as a future franchise player and every team involved will be eager to win this lottery.

Ahead of the big day, here's everything you need to know:

2023 WNBA Draft Lottery

Date: Friday, Nov. 11 | Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
Location: Bristol, Connecticut
TV: ESPN2 | Stream: WatchESPN

Lottery odds

Here's a look at the teams involved and their odds to win the lottery. As a reminder, the WNBA's lottery odds are calculated using the combined record of the past two seasons.

Team	Combined 2021 and 2022 record	Odds of winning No. 1 pick
Indiana Fever	11-57	44.20%
Atlanta Dream	22-46	27.60%
Washington Mystics (via Los Angeles Sparks)	25-43	17.80%
Minnesota Lynx	36-32	10.40%

The Fever, who have been the laughingstock of the league for over half a decade now, once again have the best odds. They'll be hoping to finally get the No. 1 pick, something that has eluded them for not only these six consecutive lottery appearances but their entire franchise history.

Atlanta, who traded for the No. 1 pick in last year's draft to select Rhyne Howard, has the next best odds. After an embarrassing stretch on and off the court, the franchise did a hard reboot last offseason and now appears to be a team on the rise. Adding another top pick would only boost their rebuild.

Mike Thibault is always thinking one step ahead, which is why the Mystics are back in the lottery again despite finishing with the fifth-best record last season. They have the Los Angeles Sparks' pick, which they got from the Dream in the Howard trade. While Howard looks to be a future star, the Mystics drafted Rookie of the Year runner-up Shakira Austin last year and now have another lottery pick.

Finally, we come to the Lynx who have the worst odds at the top pick. After 11 consecutive playoff appearances, six Finals trips and a record-tying four championships, the Lynx are back in the lottery for the first time since 2011. They won the lottery that year and selected Maya Moore, which jumpstarted their dynasty; could they get lucky again this time around?

Top prospects

It's worth noting here that Kansas State's Ayoka Lee, who last year set the NCAA single-game scoring record with 61 points, suffered a knee injury that will keep her out the entire season. She would have been a surefire first-round pick in this year's draft but has already announced she will return to school for the 2023-24 season.

While Boston is the clear-cut No. 1 pick, she's not the only talent in this class. Here's a quick look at some other players to keep an eye on this season at the collegiate level.