When is the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery? Finding out more about the marquee event in Chicago

The 2023 NBA Draft Lottery will be on May 16, 2023.
The 2023 NBA Draft Lottery will be on May 16, 2023.

The 2023 NBA Draft Lottery will take place on May 16, 2023 and will be aired by ESPN on national TV at 8:30 p.m. ET. Teams that missed the playoffs are eligible to participate in the said event.

Here are the 14 draft eligible teams:

TEAMRECORDWIN%LOTTERY PROBABILITY
Detroit Pistons17-65.20714.0%
Houston Rockets22-60.26814.0%
San Antonio Spurs22-60.26814.0%
Charlotte Hornets 27-55.32912.5%
Portland Trail Blazers33-49.40210.5%
Orlando Magic38-48.4159.0%
Indiana Pacers35-47.4276.8%
Washington Wizards35-47.4276.7%
Utah Jazz37-45.4514.5%
Dallas Mavericks38-44.4633.0%
Chicago Bulls40-42.4881.8%
OKC Thunder40-42 .488 1.7%
Toronto Raptors41-41.5001.0%
New Orleans Pelicans42-40.512.5%

The league restructured the drafting process in time for the 2019 draft. Part of the new rule is for the worst team to pick no less than fourth. This year, that honor belongs to the Detroit Pistons.

The three teams with the worst win-loss slate this season will each have a 14% chance of picking first. In previous years, the worst team had a 25% chance of landing pick No. 1. The second worst team had 19.9% while the team with the third worst record had 15.6%.

Drawings will determine who gets the top four picks. The rest of the teams will have the chance to get 5-14 based on their respective regular-season records.

The Ernst & Young accounting firm will take charge of the drawings. League officials, team governors/representatives and some members of the media will witness the actual draft lottery.

A representative of Ernst & Young will handle the draft lottery, including the sealing of envelopes for the broadcast team. Mark Tatum, NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer, will announce the result of the drawings. The last envelope to be opened will contain the name of the team who will pick first in the 2023 draft.

The draft will take place on June 22, 2023.


Victor Wembanyama is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft

French phenom Victor Wembanyama is widely considered a generational talent that is on par with the likes of LeBron James and Michael Jordan. Wembanyama confirmed that he is the real deal when he put on a performance in front of scouts in last year's summer league.

Against the G League Ignite team in two games, he totaled 73 points, hitting 22-44 shots, including nine three-pointers. He added 15 rebounds and nine blocked shots.

Almost everyone was complimentary about him, including NBA superstar LeBron James:

"Everybody's been a unicorn over the last few years, but [Wembanyama] is more like an alien. No one has ever seen anyone as tall as he is but as fluid and as graceful as he is out on the floor.
"At 7-4, 7-5, 7-3, whatever the case may be, his ability to put the ball on the floor, shoot stepback jumpers out of the post, stepback 3s, catch-and-shoot 3s, block shots, he's for sure a generational talent."

Steph Curry, the reigning finals MVP had this to say about Victor Wembanyama after his two exhibition games:

"He's like the [NBA] 2K create-a-player, every point guard that wants to be 7-foot. Cheat-code-type vibes, man. He's a solid talent. It's great to watch."

The 2023 NBA Draft lottery will determine who gets perhaps the most hyped talent in the history of the league.


Also read: Victor Wembanyama officially enters 2023 NBA draft: Looking at French Prodigy's future in league

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