diff --git a/grpc-gcp/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/grpc/GcpManagedChannel.java b/grpc-gcp/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/grpc/GcpManagedChannel.java
index 09f1dd0..ec6a988 100644
--- a/grpc-gcp/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/grpc/GcpManagedChannel.java
+++ b/grpc-gcp/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/grpc/GcpManagedChannel.java
@@ -195,6 +195,7 @@ public class GcpManagedChannel extends ManagedChannel {
   private final AtomicLong totalReadinessTime = new AtomicLong();
   private final AtomicLong readinessTimeOccurrences = new AtomicLong();
   private final AtomicInteger totalActiveStreams = new AtomicInteger();
+  private final AtomicInteger leastBusyPickOffset = new AtomicInteger();
   private AtomicInteger minActiveStreams = new AtomicInteger();
   private AtomicInteger maxActiveStreams = new AtomicInteger();
   private AtomicInteger minTotalActiveStreams = new AtomicInteger();
@@ -1759,12 +1760,19 @@ private ChannelRef pickLeastBusyChannel(boolean forFallback) {
 
     // Pick the least busy channel and the least busy ready and not overloaded channel (this could
     // be the same channel or different or no channel).
-    ChannelRef channelCandidate = channelRefs.get(0);
+    // Iteration starts at a rotating offset so that ties don't always break to channelRefs[0]:
+    // activeStreamsCount is incremented later in GcpClientCall.start(), so a burst of concurrent
+    // first-time getChannelRef(key) calls all observe equal counts and would otherwise all bind to
+    // index 0, funnelling traffic onto one channel.
+    final int size = channelRefs.size();
+    final int offset = Math.floorMod(leastBusyPickOffset.getAndIncrement(), size);
+    ChannelRef channelCandidate = channelRefs.get(offset);
     int minStreams = channelCandidate.getActiveStreamsCount();
     ChannelRef readyCandidate = null;
     int readyMinStreams = Integer.MAX_VALUE;
 
-    for (ChannelRef channelRef : channelRefs) {
+    for (int i = 0; i < size; i++) {
+      ChannelRef channelRef = channelRefs.get((offset + i) % size);
       int cnt = channelRef.getActiveStreamsCount();
       if (cnt < minStreams) {
         minStreams = cnt;
diff --git a/grpc-gcp/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/grpc/GcpManagedChannelTest.java b/grpc-gcp/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/grpc/GcpManagedChannelTest.java
index f3ccbdb..5280901 100644
--- a/grpc-gcp/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/grpc/GcpManagedChannelTest.java
+++ b/grpc-gcp/src/test/java/com/google/cloud/grpc/GcpManagedChannelTest.java
@@ -315,6 +315,23 @@ public void testGetChannelRefPickUpSmallest() {
     assertEquals(6, gcpChannel.getChannelRef(null).getAffinityCount());
   }
 
+  @Test
+  public void testNewKeyBindingsSpreadAcrossIdleChannels() {
+    // Regression: when all activeStreamsCounts are equal (e.g., a burst of new
+    // affinity keys arriving before any GcpClientCall.start() runs), bindings
+    // should spread across channels rather than collapsing onto index 0.
+    resetGcpChannel();
+    final int numChannels = 8;
+    for (int i = 0; i < numChannels; i++) {
+      gcpChannel.channelRefs.add(gcpChannel.new ChannelRef(builder.build(), i, 0));
+    }
+    Set<ChannelRef> picked = new HashSet<>();
+    for (int i = 0; i < 64; i++) {
+      picked.add(gcpChannel.getChannelRef("k" + i));
+    }
+    assertThat(picked).hasSize(numChannels);
+  }
+
   private void assertFallbacksMetric(
       FakeMetricRegistry fakeRegistry, long successes, long failures) {
     MetricsRecord record = fakeRegistry.pollRecord();