The Philadelphia 76ers are hoping luck will be on their side tonight in the 2025 NBA draft lottery.
Everything went wrong for the Sixers in the 2024-25 NBA season, but they could keep their draft pick as long as it’s in the top six selections.
Here’s what you need to know.
When is the 2025 NBA draft lottery?
The 2025 NBA draft lottery is in Chicago and begins at 6:30 p.m. It will air on ESPN before Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals between the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics.
When is the 2025 NBA draft?
The 2025 NBA draft is a two-day event that begins on Wednesday, June 25, and ends on Thursday, June 26. It will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
The first round will take place Wednesday, and the second round will take place Thursday. The first round of the NBA draft will air on ABC and ESPN, while the second round will be televised on ESPN.
What are the Sixers’ 2025 NBA draft lottery odds?
The Sixers went 24-58 in the 2024-25 season to finish fifth in the 2025 NBA draft lottery. They have a 10.5% chance of winning the lottery and earning the No. 1 overall pick.
In order for the Sixers to keep their lottery pick in the 2025 NBA draft, the pick will need to land in the top six selections. If it lands outside the top six, it will go to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Here are the chances the Sixers have at landing each pick from No. 1 overall to No. 9 overall, according to Tankathon.com.
- No. 1 overall: 10.5% (Sixers keep pick)
- No. 2 overall: 10.5% (Sixers keep pick)
- No. 3 overall: 10.6% (Sixers keep pick)
- No. 4 overall: 10.5% (Sixers keep pick)
- No. 5 overall: 2.2% (Sixers keep pick)
- No. 6 overall: 19.6% (Sixers keep pick)
- No. 7 overall: 16.8% (would convey to OKC’s pick)
- No. 8 overall: 8.7% (would convey to OKC’s pick)
- No. 9 overall: 0.6% (would convey to OKC’s pick)
Overall, the odds favor Philadelphia retaining its pick. The Sixers have a 63.9% chance for their pick to fall in the top six selections. They have a 36.1% chance of losing their pick.
How does the NBA draft lottery work?
Things have changed since the Sixers were bad enough to be in the NBA draft lottery.
The NBA reformed the way the draft lottery works after former Sixers president of basketball operations Sam Hinkie used the odds in his favor to draft top prospects.
Before the NBA draft lottery is televised, the actual lottery will happen in a separate room.
Fourteen ping pong balls numbered one through 14 will be placed in the lottery machine, and there are 1,001 possible combinations when four balls are drawn out of 14. However, 1,000 of the 1,001 combinations will be assigned to the 14 teams in the lottery.
For example, the Sixers have a 10.5% chance of winning the lottery, so they have 105 assigned combinations in the machine. The Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets each have a 14% chance of winning the lottery, so they have 140 assigned combinations.
Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images 
After the 14 balls are placed inside the lottery machine, they will be mixed for 20 seconds, and the first ball will be removed. Then, the remaining balls will be mixed for an additional 10 seconds, and the second ball will be drawn. There will then be a 10-second mix, followed by the drawing of the third ball. The same process will happen for the fourth ball.
The team that has been assigned that combination of numbers will get the No. 1 overall pick. The same process will be repeated with the ping-pong balls for the second, third and fourth overall picks.
If a team comes up more than once, the result will be discarded, and another four-ball combination will be selected. If an unassigned combination is drawn, the result will also be discarded, and the balls will be drawn again.
After the first four picks are determined, picks five through 14 will be decided in the inverse order of their 2024-25 regular season records.
Who will represent the Sixers at the NBA draft lottery?
Guard Jared McCain will represent the Sixers at the 2025 NBA draft lottery. McCain, who was selected 16th overall by the Sixers in the 2024 NBA draft, had his rookie season cut short after suffering a torn meniscus in his left knee.
In 23 games, including eight starts, McCain averaged 15.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists and shot 38.3% on 3-pointers. Despite missing significant time, McCain was a 2025 NBA Rising Star selection. He was named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for the games played in October and November last season.
Revisiting Sixers-Thunder 2020 trade
The Sixers’ first-round pick in the 2025 NBA draft is top-six protected due to a trade in 2020 that sent Al Horford to the Thunder and landed them sharpshooter Danny Green.
In the deal, the Sixers sent Horford, a 2025 protected first-round pick and the draft rights to Théo Maledon (No. 34 selection in the 2020 NBA draft) and Vasilije Micić (No. 52 selection in the 2014 NBA draft) to the Thunder. The Sixers acquired Green, Terrance Ferguson and Vincent Poirier in the deal.
If the pick doesn’t convey in 2025, it will be top-four protected in the 2026 and 2027 NBA drafts. If it doesn’t convey in the first round of the 2025, 2026 or 2027 drafts, it will turn into a 2027-second-round selection.
When did the Sixers last win the NBA draft lottery?
The Sixers have won the NBA draft lottery three times in franchise history.
The last time Philadelphia won the NBA draft lottery was in 2016 when the team selected Ben Simmons No. 1 overall.
Philadelphia won the lottery in 1996, and the team picked future Hall of Fame guard and franchise legend Allen Iverson with the No. 1 overall pick.
The Sixers also won the NBA lottery in 1986, but the team traded the selection. The team dealt the No. 1 overall pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers, which used it to draft Brad Daugherty, for Roy Hinson and cash.
How many draft picks do the Sixers have in 2025?
If the Sixers are lucky enough to keep their pick in the 2025 NBA draft, they’ll have two picks.
The Sixers also have the No. 35 overall pick in the second round of the 2025 NBA draft.
Who are the top 2025 NBA draft prospects?
The 2025 NBA draft is headlined by Duke forward Cooper Flagg.
Flagg earned National College Player of the Year honors at Duke as a freshman. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and shot 48% from the field. He also shot 38.5% from 3-point range.
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Rutgers also has a pair of players entering the 2025 NBA draft.
Dylan Harper, a 6-foot-6 guard, is ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the 2025 NBA draft by CBS Sports. He averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists as a freshman. Harper was also named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and earned Third-Team conference honors.
Ace Bailey, another talented Rutgers player, is ranked as the No. 3 prospect by CBS Sports. Along with Harper, he was also named to the Big-Ten All Freshman Team and Third-Team conference honors.
Bailey averaged 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and shot 46% from the field at Rutgers.
