Dallas Wings win No. 1 pick in historic WNBA draft lottery victory

Lottery sees Sparks slip to second despite having the best odds for the No. 1 selection

The Dallas Wings secured the top pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft after winning the lottery for the first time in franchise history. The lottery, held on Sunday, granted Dallas the No. 1 selection with 227 chances out of 1,000 to be drawn.

The Los Angeles Sparks, who held the best odds with 442 combinations, will draft second for the second consecutive year. The Chicago Sky will pick third, while the Washington Mystics will select fourth. The four lottery teams were allocated combinations based on their combined records from the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Dallas and Chicago both held identical 31-49 records during this period, while Los Angeles had a 25-55 record.

The Wings are searching for a new head coach after parting ways with Latricia Trammell following a disappointing 9-31 season. Curt Miller, recently appointed as general manager, will oversee the coaching hire. Miller previously served as head coach for the Los Angeles Sparks and Connecticut Sun.

UConn guard Paige Bueckers is currently a leading prospect for the Wings, with other potential picks including Southern California forward Kiki Iriafen and Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles.

In the 2024 draft, Dallas selected Ohio State guard Jacy Sheldon at No. 5 and French guard Carla Leite at No. 9. The Sparks drafted Stanford forward Cameron Brink second overall, while the Sky picked South Carolina centre Kamilla Cardoso third and LSU’s Angel Reese at No. 7.

Meanwhile, the Golden State Valkyries, an expansion team, will draft fifth in all three rounds of the 2025 draft. The Valkyries will also participate in an expansion draft on 6 December.