Shock WNBA Team Lands Top Pick in 2026 Draft Lottery

By Alex Kirschenbaum

Contributing Sports Writer

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Thanks to Sunday's 2026 WNBA Draft lottery, a surprise franchise has nabbed the top draft pick ahead of next spring's selection.

Per a WNBA.com press statement, the Dallas Wings have nabbed the No. 1 pick for the second straight season, during a special 30-minutes ESPN broadcast appropriately dubbed the "WNBA Draft Lottery Special."

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Last year's pick, University of Connecticut standout guard Paige Bueckers, has already emerged as one of the best backcourt players in the league. Now, she'll get some premium talent to help her strive to make her first pro postseason.

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The Wings finished the 2025 season tied with the Chicago Sky for the worst record in the league at 10-34, but Chicago had conveyed the rights to its 2026 draft pick to the Minnesota Lynx. The Lynx will get the No. 2 pick next spring thanks to that Chicago deal. In the WNBA, draft odds are determined by a team's record across the past two combined seasons.

The Wings' combined 19-65 record gave them the best shot at the top pick, ahead of the Sky's 23-61 combined run (which, again, now belongs to the Lynx).

The Seattle Storm (who acquired a lottery pick thanks to a trade with the Los Angeles Sparks, who sported a combined 29-55 record), the 30-54 Washington Mystics, and the Sky again (via a trade with the 11-33 Connecticut Sun) were all also contending for a shot at the top selection next year. The Storm have the No. 3 pick, and the Mystics will select at No. 4.

TCU point guard Olivia Miles, Spanish center Awa Fam, UCLA center Lauren Betts, LSU guard Flau’jae Johnson and South Carolina guard Ta’Niya Latson are all considered contenders to earn lottery spots. But Bueckers' former championship Connecticut teammate and current girlfriend, Azzi Fudd, is very much in the running to be a top pick, too. They have thrived together on and off the court before. But is she better than all the others, and/or could the Wings also trade down with another lottery team to land her later?

The 6-foot Bueckers, a maestro from the midrange, was named to hear first All-WNBA and All-Star teams last season. She also was honored as the Rookie of the Year, beating out fellow All-Star rookies Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen of the Washington Mystics.

Across 36 bouts for Dallas, the 24-year-old averaged an impressive stat line of 19.2 points (on .477/.331/.888 shooting splits), 5.4 assists and 3.9 rebounds a night.

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