How to Set Your Fantasy Basketball or Hockey Draft Order
by FDL Team
Fantasy basketball and fantasy hockey leagues set their draft order the same two ways football leagues do: a random order where every team has an equal shot at the first pick, or a weighted lottery where the teams that finished worst last season get more lottery balls. Either one takes about a minute with a free draft order generator. Getting the whole league to trust the result is harder.
Random or weighted: which should your league use?
A new redraft league should go random, since nobody has a record yet. Keeper and dynasty leagues usually weight it, so a bad season buys better odds at the top pick. Better odds, though, not a guarantee. If last place automatically picks first, you've given someone a reason to bench their stars in week 12 (every keeper league has that owner).
How the real NHL draft lottery works
The NHL runs two lottery draws among the 16 teams that missed the playoffs. The worst team holds 185 of 1,000 combinations, an 18.5% chance at the first draw. A team that wins a draw can move up no more than 10 spots, which means the last-place team can fall no lower than third. [Elite Prospects]
To copy it in fantasy hockey, give the worst team the most balls and fewer to each team above it. Run the lottery for the top two or three picks only. Everyone else slots in by record.
How the real NBA draft lottery works, and the 2027 change
Since the 2019 draft, the NBA's three worst teams have each had a 14% chance at the first pick, with odds falling 1.5 points per spot after that and only the top four picks drawn. [NBA.com]
That changes with the 2027 draft. The league's Board of Governors approved a "3-2-1" system, 29 to 1, that draws all 16 lottery picks and gives the three worst records fewer balls than the other non-playoff teams. It's aimed squarely at tanking. [Yahoo Sports] If your dynasty league has a tanking problem, borrow it: give the bottom three a little less weight than the teams just above them.
Setting it up in about a minute
- Enter your league name and team count (2 to 32).
- Want a lottery? Turn on weighting and give each team its number of balls. Skip this for a straight random order.
- Add team names and hit generate. Picks come out one at a time, with NFL, NBA or NHL music if you want it.
Revealing it so nobody can call it rigged
A free generator runs in the commissioner's browser, which means they could rerun it until they liked the result. Nobody can prove they didn't. Draft Night '26 removes that doubt. The order is generated once on our server the moment you pay, locked with a timestamp and a cryptographic fingerprint, and nobody sees it until showtime, the commissioner included. Pick basketball or hockey and the broadcast plays that sport's music while an announcer calls every pick by team name. It's $12 per league, once.
Common questions
How do you decide draft order in a fantasy basketball league?
New leagues usually go random. Keeper and dynasty leagues tend to use a weighted lottery, where last season's worst teams get more lottery balls. Enter your teams at fantasydraftlottery.com, turn on weighting if you want it, and the order is generated instantly for free.
How do you decide draft order in a fantasy hockey league?
Fantasy hockey leagues use the same two options: a pure random order, or a weighted lottery modeled on the NHL's, where the worst teams get the best odds and nobody's guaranteed the first pick. Any league from 2 to 32 teams can run either one free at fantasydraftlottery.com.
How does the real NHL draft lottery work?
The NHL holds two lottery draws among the 16 non-playoff teams. The team with the worst record has an 18.5% chance at the first draw, and a winning team can move up no more than 10 spots, so the last-place team is guaranteed a top-three pick.
How does the NBA draft lottery work?
From 2019 through the 2026 draft, the NBA's three worst teams each had a 14% chance at the first pick and the lottery drew the top four picks. Starting with the 2027 draft, the league adopted a 3-2-1 system that draws all 16 lottery picks and gives the three worst teams lower odds than other non-playoff teams.
Can I reveal our fantasy draft order live with the whole league?
Yes. Draft Night '26 on fantasydraftlottery.com seals your order on the server when you pay, then plays it as a live broadcast at the time you choose, with an announcer calling each team by name and basketball or hockey music. It costs $12 per league, one time.