Wizards win the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery — first No. 1 pick since John Wall

The Wizards are back at No. 1. Washington won the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery in Chicago, jumping on 14% odds to leap the Pacers (second) and the Nets (third) — their first time at the top of the draft since John Wall in 2010.

Rounding out the top five: Jazz at No. 4, Grizzlies at No. 5, Bulls at No. 6. The expected pick: AJ Dybantsa, the BYU freshman who's been the consensus No. 1 prospect since his sophomore year of high school. He's 6'9", a wing scorer who can switch, and ESPN already has him slotted as the best prospect since Victor Wembanyama. Washington has been openly rebuilding for three years; this is the payoff.

ESPN also reported the league plans to switch to a 3-2-1 weighted lottery format starting next year — a system designed to disincentivize tanking by capping how much the very worst record can help. The Wizards got in just in time on the current odds.

Wizards fans haven't had a Wall-level moment in 16 years. They might've just gotten one.