NBA Draft Lottery FAQ

The NBA Draft Lottery is set for Tuesday, May 18, 2010 at 8 PM ET. It will decide the order for the NBA Draft, which is June 24, 2010, in New York City.

What is the 2010 NBA Draft order?
What teams are in the NBA Draft Lottery?
Who has the best odds in the NBA Draft Lottery?
How does the NBA Draft Lottery work?
Who will win the NBA Draft Lottery?
When is the NBA Draft Lottery?
When is the NBA Draft?

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What is the 2010 NBA Draft order?

The order for picks 1-14 was set by the NBA Draft Lottery. Picks 15-60 were already set based on the NBA's 2009-10 final standings.

2010 NBA Draft Order, First Round:
1. Washington Wizards
2. Philadelphia 76ers
3. New Jersey Nets
4. Minnesota Timberwolves
5. Sacramento Kings
6. Golden State Warriors
7. Detroit Pistons
8. Los Angeles Clippers
9. Utah Jazz
10. Indiana Pacers
11. New Orleans Hornets
12. Memphis Grizzlies
13. Toronto Raptors
14. Houston Rockets
15. Milwaukee Bucks
16. Minnesota Timberwolves
17. Chicago Bulls
18. Miami Heat
19. Boston Celtics
20. San Antonio Spurs
21. Oklahoma City Thunder
22. Portland Trail Blazers
23. Minnesota Timberwolves
24. Atlanta Hawks
25. Memphis Grizzlies
26. Oklahoma City Thunder
27. New Jersey Nets
28. Memphis Grizzlies
29. Orlando Magic
30. Washington Wizards

What teams are in the NBA Draft Lottery?

The teams in the 2010 NBA Draft Lottery are the New Jersey Nets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, Washington Wizards, Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers, Utah Jazz, Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Hornets, Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors and Houston Rockets.

Who had the best odds in the NBA Draft Lottery?

Odds are tilted toward teams with the worst records. The Nets had a 25% probability of winning the No. 1 pick. The Wolves had a 19% probability of winning the No. 1 pick. The Kings had a 15.6% probability of winning the No. 1 pick.

How does the NBA Draft lottery work?

Fourteen ping pong balls numbered 1-14 are placed in a rotating hopper. Each lottery team has one representative locked in a private room with the hopper, league officials and independent auditors. When the lottery begins, the hopper is turned and an official selects four balls from the hopper. Each four-number combination is assigned to a team based on the team's lottery odds. The Nets, for example, have 250 combinations. If the first four-number combination pulled from the hopper matches on of those, the Nets would win the lottery.

After the first combination is awarded, all balls are returned to the hopper and another four balls are retrieved. Whichever team has this combination is awarded the No. 2 pick. In the event the team which has the No. 1 pick also wins the No. 2 pick, the second set of balls are replaced in the hopper and another four are selected. The same occurs for the No. 3 pick.

After the top three picks are awarded, the rest of the draft order follows reverse league standings, with tiebreakers having been broken by coin toss at the end of the regular season. Only then are the picks announced live on stage. The team representatives on the stage do not know if they have won before it is announced by NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver.

Who will win the NBA draft lottery?

The league's worst team has only won the NBA draft lottery twice since 1994. The second worst team has also won it three times, including last season. The third worst team has won the No. 1 pick four times since 1994. The lowest team to have won the NBA draft lottery in its current format was the 2008 Bulls, who had the ninth-best chance. No team with the 10th-best chance or worse has won the lottery.

When is the NBA Draft Lottery?

The 2010 NBA Draft Lottery will be held Tuesday, May 18, 2010. It will be televised on ESPN beginning at 7:30 PM Eastern, with the announcement of the winner of the lottery coming around 7:50 PM.

When is the NBA Draft?

The 2010 NBA Draft will be held Thursday, June 24, 2010, beginning at 7 PM Eastern on ESPN.