How the NBA Draft Works

The NBA draft is an annual event in which the 30 NBA teams select new players for their rosters. The draft order is determined by the previous season’s standings, with the team with the worst record receiving the first pick.

NBA Draft Format

The NBA Draft is an annual event in which the 30 teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) select players who have never played in the NBA before. The draft is held in late June, after the NBA Finals have concluded. Players who have been selected in the NBA Draft are able to play in the NBA immediately.

The draft order

The NBA Draft order is determined by a lottery system. The 14 teams that did not make the playoffs are entered into a lottery for the first overall pick. The team with the worst record has the best chance of getting the first pick, while the team with the best record among non-playoff teams has the worst chance of getting the first pick. The other 12 lottery teams are then placed in reverse order of their regular season record. The playoff teams are then placed in reverse order of their regular season record, with the exception of the NBA champion, which is given the last pick in each round as a reward for winning the NBA title.

The draft lottery

The night of the NBA Draft Lottery is one of the most nerve-wracking nights of the year for front office personnel, coaching staffs, and fans of lottery-bound teams. The lottery determines the order of selection for the first 14 picks of the draft. (The draft consists of two rounds with 60 total picks.) The team with the worst record in the league receives the mostPing-Pong balls in the lottery machine (250), and thus, the best chance to receive the No. 1 pick. The second-worst team gets 199 balls, third-worst 156, and so on. The 14 participating teams are weighted by their win-loss records over a specified period, usually three years.

There is a 1-in-14 chance that a team will get the No. 1 pick, a 2-in-14 chance it will get the second pick, and so on down to a 1-in-14 chance at getting the 14th pick. If any team other than the one with worst record jumps into top 3, that team keeps its draft position and pushes every team down one slot below them (e.g., if Charlotte jumps from 4 to 2, Charlotte would pick 2nd, Orlando 3rd, Phoenix 4th, etc.).

NBA Draft Eligibility

To be eligible for the NBA draft, players must be at least 19 years old during the calendar year of the draft and must have also completed four years of their college eligibility. If a player does not meet these criteria, they are automatically ineligible for the draft and cannot participate.

Age

In order to be eligible for the NBA draft, a player must be at least 19 years of age during the calendar year of the draft. For example, a player who turns 19 years old on December 31, 2020 would be eligible for the 2021 NBA draft but not the 2020 NBA draft.

The only exception to this rule is if a player declares for and withdraws from the draft prior to his college class’ graduation date. In that case, he may re-enter the draft no more than two times. For example, a player who declares for and withdraws from the 2019 NBA draft would be eligible for both the 2020 and 2021 drafts but not the 2022 NFL draft.

Education

In order to be eligible for the NBA draft, players must be at least 19 years old and one year removed from their high school graduation date. This rule was implemented in 2006, prior to which players could be drafted straight out of high school.

Players who do not meet these criteria may still enter the draft by “declaring for early entry.” In order to do so, they must notify the NBA Office of Basketball Operations on or before the early entry withdrawal deadline. Players who declare for early entry must also renounce their college eligibility.

Players who have played professional basketball in another country are also eligible for the draft, as long as they are at least 22 years old during the calendar year of the draft.

International players

International players are eligible for the NBA draft if they turn 19 during the calendar year of the draft and if they are at least four years removed from the year they graduated high school. In other words, international players who will turn 19 before December 31st of the year of the draft are eligible, as long as they did not graduate high school in 2015 or later.

Some international players come to the United States to play college basketball, and then declare for the draft after their freshman or sophomore seasons. Other international players bypass college altogether and come directly to the NBA from their home countries.

In order to be selected in the NBA draft, an international player must declare his intention to enter the draft by notifying the NBA office no later than 60 days before the date of the draft. The player must also submit proof of his date of birth and his educational status (if he did not attend college in the United States).

NBA Draft Process

The NBA Draft is an annual event in which the National Basketball Association (NBA) teams select players who have college eligibility from a pool of eligible prospects. The draft lottery takes place in May, followed by the NBA Draft Combine in June and the NBA Draft itself in July.

Pre-draft workouts

Pre-draft workouts are an opportunity for NBA hopefuls to showcase their skills in front of team personnel before the draft. These workouts typically take place in late May and early June, prior to the draft.

During pre-draft workouts, players go through a series of drills and scrimmages designed to show off their individual and team skills. They also have the chance to meet with team officials and medical staff. Some players choose to participate in group workouts with other prospects, while others opt to work out individually with teams.

Players who do not participate in pre-draft workouts may still be drafted, but they may have a harder time impressing teams. These workouts give players a chance to prove themselves and boost their stock heading into the draft.

The combine

The NBA Draft Combine is a multi-day showcase that invites the top college basketball players to perform physical and athletic tests in front of NBA coaches, general managers and player personnel. The players also undergo interviewed by teams.

The purpose of the combine is twofold: first, it gives teams an opportunity to get to know the players on a personal level and to evaluate their character; second, it allows teams to assess the players’ physical skills and measure their athleticism.

The combine consists of two parts: measurement day and interview day. On measurement day, players go through a series of tests that measure their height, weight, wingspan, vertical leap and so on. These numbers are then compared with other players in the draft class to give teams an idea of each player’s physical strengths and weaknesses.

On interview day, teams have the opportunity to sit down with each player for up to 30 minutes in order to get to know them on a more personal level. This is an important part of the process because it allows teams to get a sense of each player’s values, work ethic and personality.

Players who do not receive an invitation to the combine can still participate in what is known as “the (in)formal combine.” This is essentially an open tryout where players can showcase their skills in front of NBA scouts. These tryouts are not as well organized or as well publicized as the official combine, but they still provide an opportunity for players to improve their draft stock.

NBA Draft Day

The NBA Draft is an annual event in which the 30 franchises in the National Basketball Association (NBA) select new players for their teams. The draft is held in late June, after the NBA Finals have ended. College basketball players and other eligible players, including international players, are selected by teams through a process of reverse order of finish during the regular season.

Round 1

On draft day, the team with the worst regular-season record will get the first overall pick. The second worst team gets the second pick, and so on down the line. If two teams have identical records, a coin flip will determine who picks first.

The draft lottery was introduced in 1985. Before that, the team with the worst record had a 25 percent chance of getting the first pick, while the second and third worst teams each had a 17.5 percent chance. The fourth worst team had a 12.5 percent chance, while the remaining eight playoff teams each had a 5 to 8 percent chance of getting one of the top three picks.

Under the current rules of the draft lottery, the 14 teams that don’t make the playoffs all have a shot at landing the top pick. The odds are weighted in favor of the teams with worse records; for instance, the team with the worst record has a 25 percent chance of winning, while the next three worse teams each have a 20 percent chance. From there, it drops off significantly; for instance, last year’s eighth-worst team (the Charlotte Hornets) had just a 0.5 percent chance of winning.

The lottery is conducted before the draft, usually about two weeks before. In recent years it’s been held on television during halftime of one of ESPN’s playoff games; all 14 lottery teams are represented by their mascot or an executive from their organization, and as each team is eliminated from contention for the top pick, their logo is removed from a board revealing all 14 logos. Once three teams are left, their logos are placed in separate drums and pulled out randomly; whichever logo is pulled out first gets picks No.’s 1-3 in reverse order (so if Team A wins, they get pick No.’ 3), while Picks Nos.’ 4-14 are determined by regular season record with ties being broken by coin flips or drawing cards from a deck .

[…]When it’s time for that team to make its selection, an official will step to a podium and announce both that team’s selection and that player’s name.[4] In recent years,[when?] ESPN has posted pictures and biographical information about each player selected moments after he is picked.[citation needed]

Round 2

The second round of the NBA draft works just like the first: eligible players are announced, teams have a set amount of time to make their pick and then the next team is on the clock.

There are 60 picks in the second round, just like the first. But because there are only 30 teams in the NBA, each team gets two picks in the second round. The order of picks is determined by reverse order of finish, just like the first round.

The second round is abbreviated compared to the first: each team has just five minutes to make their pick instead of ten.

Just like in the first round, if a team doesn’t use their full five minutes, they can “pass” on their pick and defer to the next team. This often happens when a team is trying to decide between two similar players and needs more time to make a decision, or when a team is trying to trade their pick.

Once all 60 picks in the second round are made, the draft is complete. Any eligible player who wasn’t selected in either round becomes an unrestricted free agent and can sign with any NBA team.

Round 3

Round three of the NBA draft consists of thirty-two picks, with every team making one selection. The draft order for round three is the reverse order of the standings from the previous season.

Unlike in rounds one and two, teams are not allowed to trade their picks in round three. As a result, teams are often stuck drafting players they don’t want, simply because they don’t have any other options.

Because of this, many players drafted in round three never even make it to the NBA. In fact, very few players drafted in round three ever end up having successful NBA careers.

After the NBA Draft

The NBA Draft is an essential part of how the league works. Every year, the very best college basketball players declare themselves eligible for the NBA Draft. From there, teams have a chance to select the player they think will help them the most. This process repeats until all 30 NBA teams have made their selections. But what happens after the draft?

Undrafted free agents

Any player who does not hear his name called during the draft is an undrafted free agent, and he is free to sign with any team that offer him a contract. While many undrafted players never make it to the NBA, there are many who go on to have successful careers. Notable undrafted free agents include Udonis Haslem, Bruce Bowen, John Starks, Ben Wallace and Kevin Willis.