Does a coin toss determine whether the Utah Jazz keep their pick this season? The answer is somewhat complicated.
Although people call it a “coin flip,” the NBA uses a machine similar to the lottery system. This machine determines the tiebreaker winner. The system gives two teams a 50% chance to win the tiebreaker. In a three-way tie, each team has a 33.3% chance.
With 13 teams competing for draft position (four with lottery implications), many fans and front offices look to Lady Luck for a prime position. The Jazz struck gold and won their tiebreaker, confirming that they keep their pick from the Oklahoma City Thunder. After all the stress and tribulation, Jazz fans and the front office alike can breathe a sigh of relief.
How Is a Tiebreaker Winner Determined?
If two teams enter a tiebreaker, the NBA places three logo-donned ping-pong balls for each team inside the machine. This gives the teams a 50% chance of winning the tie. They then let the ping-pong balls mix inside the machine for 20 seconds. After that time, a staff member presses a button to draw one ball and determine the winner.
The winning team gains the favorable draft position, while the runner-up drops to the spot behind them. If three teams vie for a draft spot, the NBA places two ping-pong balls for each team into the machine. The machine mixes the balls for 20 seconds for the first selection.
Once they find the winner of the most favorable pick, they mix the balls for another 10 seconds. This determines the next pick. If a previous winner’s ball is drawn, they discard it and redo the sequence.
What This Means for the Jazz
When it comes to finding luck in the draft, the Jazz are still trying to catch a big break. In the franchise’s entire history, the team has never earned the first overall pick. There’s only one time in the team’s history when they “moved up,” which was the 2011 draft. The pick wasn’t even their own; it was the Brooklyn Nets.
After acquiring the pick via the Deron Williams trade, the Nets tanked that season, ending with a horrendous 24-58 record, giving the Jazz a decent pick. The Jazz then wasted that pick drafting Enes Kanter Freedom.
Even though this recent draft positioning isn’t the lottery, it gives the Jazz and the front office a sense of relief. With the 4th-worst odds secured, the team can fall no lower than pick eight.
With the pick secured, the Jazz front office can turn its attention to looking for draft candidates. Besides a sense of relief, the Jazz also have a better shot at winning the lottery. The fourth pick comes with the perk of 11.5% chance at winning the NBA Lottery. This gives the team one more chance of obtaining the elusive number one pick.
The Future Is Bright
Jazz fans have lacked good basketball and are hungry for a competitive team to cheer for. With one more blue-chip prospect on the way and the team looking to compete with its new core, Jazz fans anxiously await the start of next season.
The next step is finding a little more luck on the upcoming lottery night on May 10, 2026. It airs on ABC at 3 p.m. ET (1 p.m. MT).
Jazz fans should gear up for more chaos and hopefully be ready to celebrate if the ping-pong ball swings their way.
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