Charlotte had 97 chances out of 1,001 to receive the first overall selection. The Indiana Fever will have the second pick in the Draft followed by the Phoenix Mercury, the San Antonio Silver Stars, and the Houston Comets.
The Draft Lottery was conducted by WNBA officials and representatives from the accounting firm of Ernst & Young at the NBA Entertainment studios in Secaucus, N.J. and included the five teams that did not qualify for the 2004 WNBA Playoffs. The lottery establishes the order of selection for the first round of the draft, with the order of selection for the second and third rounds based on each team’s finish during the 2004 regular season.
Following is the order of the WNBA Draft Lottery results for the 2005 WNBA Draft:
2005 WNBA DRAFT LOTTERY ORDER
| Pick | Team | 2004 Record |
| 1. | Charlotte | 16-18 |
| 2. | Indiana | 15-19 |
| 3. | Phoenix | 17-17 |
| 4. | San Antonio | 9-25 |
| 5. | Houston | 13-21 |
In 2004, for the sixth consecutive season, more than 2 million fans attended WNBA games. As the preeminent women's sports league, the WNBA is the destination for the best women's basketball players in the world.