By Brady Entwistle
The 2022 WNBA Draft Lottery is just around the coroner and the league has officially announced the streaming details.
The 30-minute event, presented by State Farm, is scheduled to air live on Sunday, December 19, 2021, starting at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN, during the network's coverage of women’s college basketball.
While fans tune in, they can also catch the network’s doubleheader of Baylor vs. Michigan and Louisville vs. UConn.
The WNBA Lottery odds are based on the cumulative records of the two most recent seasons. The four teams that have qualified for the 21st annual WNBA Draft Lottery are the Indiana Fever, Atlanta Dream, Washington Mystics, and Dallas Wings, who obtained the first-round selection from the Los Angeles Sparks via trade last year. The winner grabs the top draft pick, decided next April.
With a combined record of 12-42 over the 2020 and 2021 seasons, the Indiana Fever will have the most chances to secure the number one pick. The drawing sees 14 balls, numbered 1 through 14, mixed in a lottery machine, with four being drawn to determine a four-digit combination. That combination will be assigned to one of the four teams, giving them the number one pick.
The process will be repeated to determine the second pick and then the team with the lowest cumulative record whose numbers have not been selected will pick third. The last remaining team picks fourth.
The order of selection for the rest of the first round and onward will be determined by inverse order of the teams’ individual regular season records from this year, which means the New York Liberty are set to select fifth and the Connecticut Sun to select last.
With growing popularity, and increased ratings for the 2021 WNBA Championship, the Draft
Lottery can capitalize off of a successful season and generate interest for next year.