Ashley Smith To Represent Utah Jazz At 2025 NBA Draft Lottery
May 8, 2025, 1:40 PM | Updated: May 12, 2025, 2:14 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – Ashley Smith, principal of the Smith Entertainment Group, will represent the Utah Jazz at the 2025 NBA Draft lottery.
In an appearance with Hans Olsen and Scott Garrard on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone, co-principal Ryan Smith announced that Ashley would travel to Chicago for the event.
“My lucky charm, Ashley is going to go represent [the] Jazz,” Smith said.
Ashley Smith To Represent Jazz At Draft Lottery
Ryan and Ashley Smith purchased the Jazz in 2021 and have overseen the team’s reconstruction since trading Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell in the summer of 2022.
Four years removed from finishing with the best record in the NBA, the Jazz finished with the league’s worst record at just 17-65, one game behind the 18-64 Washington Wizards.
The Jazz have a 52.1 percent chance of landing one of the top four picks in the draft, and a 47.9 percent chance of selecting fifth.
Ryan Smith on @kslsports and @KSLSportsZone says Ashley Smith will be representing the @utahjazz at the NBA Draft lottery on Monday night. #TakeNote
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) May 8, 2025
Smith is the first woman to represent the Jazz on lottery night, after the team has traditionally struck out in the drawing of the ping pong balls.
“I haven’t been able to grab it,” Ryan Smith said of his trip to represent the Jazz in the closed room where the lottery is held. “[Danny] Ainge didn’t get it.”
The team confirmed that Ashley Smith will represent the Jazz on the stage during the ESPN television broadcast.
“She’s all in, and she wants to be able to watch this, so she’s willing to go through it,” Ryan Smith said. “It’s a lot, it’s a lot to take on — she’s a gamer.”
The Jazz haven’t moved up in the draft lottery since 2011, when their pick (by way of the Brooklyn Nets) jumped from six to three.
How Does The NBA Draft Lottery Work?
During the NBA Draft Lottery, the teams that own picks 1-14 are assigned a four-digit number combination that will help determine where they select on draft night.
Each team is assigned a specific number of combinations that coincide with their odds of winning the top overall pick, with the league’s three worst teams each owning 14 percent of the 1,001 combinations, and the remaining 11 teams assigned a gradually decreasing number of lottery combinations.
Ties have been broken by the league. Official pre-Lottery two round order is updated: https://t.co/FXkXbE02qc https://t.co/BNBDMWJuBN pic.twitter.com/D8Ids0uEZY
— Tankathon.com (@tankathon) April 22, 2025
The lottery process is held four times to determine the top four picks, after which selections 5-14 are assigned to non-lottery winners according to their regular season record from worst to best.
Since the lottery only determines the top four selections, teams can fall no further than four spots below their end-of-season positioning.
When Is The NBA Draft Lottery?
The NBA Draft Lottery will be held on May 12 in Chicago on the second day of the NBA Combine.
What Channel Is The Draft Lottery On?
The actual lottery is held in private with representatives from the 14 teams and members of the media. The results of the draft lottery will be revealed on ESPN beginning at 7 p.m. EST on May 12.
Fans can stream the draft lottery on Watch ESPN, or listen to our full NBA Draft Lottery reaction show on 97.5 the KSL Sports Zone and the KSL Sports app.
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Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops, on Instagram @BensHoops, or on BlueSky.
