It’s official: Cooper Flagg is heading to the NBA following one year with Duke.
While Flagg’s NFL draft counterpart — presumed No. 1 overall pick and former Miami quarterback Cam Ward — has known about his likely destination (the Tennessee Titans) for months, Flagg will have to wait another couple of weeks to see where he will play professional basketball.
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This is because, unlike the NFL, the NBA uses a lottery to determine its top four picks in the draft, rather than solely depend on record. It’s a way to curtail “tanking,” when a team purposefully loses to get a better pick.
The Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets hold the highest odds of landing the No. 1 overall pick. However, Flagg still has a chance to pair with NBA rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama, as the San Antonio Spurs are one of the 14 teams with 0.7% to 14% odds to land the 18-year-old star.
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Here’s what you need to know about the NBA draft lottery following Flagg’s decision to officially enter the 2025 NBA Draft:
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NBA draft lottery odds
Teams are assigned odds of earning the top overall pick in the draft based on the inverse finish in the 2024-25 NBA regular standings. Here’s a look at the odds to select the No. 1 overall pick:
*pick belongs to 76ers if 1-6, Thunder if 7-30
**pick belongs to Kings if 1-12, Hawks if 13-30
When is the NBA draft lottery?
- When: Monday, May 12
- Location: Chicago
The 2025 NBA draft lottery will be held on Monday, May 12, in Chicago, during the week of the NBA draft combine from May 11-18.
How does the NBA draft lottery work?
The 14 teams that did not qualify for the NBA playoffs, including teams that lost in the play-in round, are eligible for the NBA draft lottery. The odds for each pick were determined following the end of the regular season standings and after tie breakers were settled for teams with the same record.
Each team is assigned odds for the top overall pick based on the reverse order of regular-season record. The teams with the three worst records have the same odds of landing the No. 1 overall pick.
This year marks the 40th NBA draft lottery. The lottery procedure takes place ahead of the ESPN broadcast of the public unveiling with select media, NBA officials and representatives of the participating teams in the room. The drawing is used to determine the order of the top four picks, with the remaining “lottery teams” picking 5-14 in inverse order of the standings.
Here’s an explanation from the official NBA website on the process of the lottery:
“Fourteen ping-pong balls numbered 1 through 14 will be placed in a lottery machine. There are 1,001 possible combinations when four balls are drawn out of 14, without regard to their order of selection. Before the lottery, 1,000 of those 1,001 combinations will be assigned to the 14 participating lottery teams. The lottery machine is manufactured by the Smart Play Company, a leading manufacturer of state lottery machines throughout the United States. Smart Play also weighs, measures and certifies the ping-pong balls before the drawing.
“The drawing process occurs in the following manner: All 14 balls are placed in the lottery machine and they are mixed for 20 seconds, and then the first ball is removed. The remaining balls are mixed in the lottery machine for another 10 seconds, and then the second ball is drawn. There is a 10-second mix, and then the third ball is drawn. There is a 10-second mix, and then the fourth ball is drawn. The team that has been assigned that combination will receive the No. 1 pick. The same process is repeated with the same ping-pong balls and lottery machine for the second through fourth picks.
“If the same team comes up more than once, the result is discarded and another four-ball combination is selected. Also, if the one unassigned combination is drawn, the result is discarded and the balls are drawn again. The length of time the balls are mixed is monitored by a timekeeper who faces away from the machine and signals the machine operator after the appropriate amount of time has elapsed.“
Cooper Flagg mock draft
Flagg is widely projected as the No. 1 overall draft pick in the 2025 NBA Draft following his one year with the Blue Devils. Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game on 48.1% shooting, helping guide the Blue Devils to the Final Four.
Here’s what a USA TODAY Sports mock draft said about Flagg ahead of the Final Four:
“The do-it-all young star led the Blue Devils in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. Flagg has outstanding footwork, especially in the low post. He can use either hand on shots in the paint, knows how to run plays, can hit catch-and-shoot 3s and is an active weakside defender. Flagg, who added more muscle since the start of the year, is a physical player who initiates contact, is confident and plays with force when necessary.
“He led Duke to an impressive season, which includes the ACC regular-season title, ACC tournament title and Final Four appearance. He had 30 points, seven assists and six rebounds in a regional semifinal victory against Arizona and 16 points and nine rebounds in a regional final against Alabama. Flagg had 27 points, seven rebounds, three blocks and two steals in a Final Four loss to Houston.”
