draft lottery

noun3

1. •
   (US, historical) Any of the lotteries by which US residents were drafted into military service during World War II and the Vietnam War and would be drafted were a draft reinstituted under current law.
2. •
   (US) A lottery process that determines the order in which members of a professional sports league can select eligible players.
3. •
   (US) The lottery process that determines the order in which in the teams in the National Basketball Association that did not reach the playoffs in the preceding year select eligible players.