How to Register for the NBA Draft

The NBA draft is one of the most important events for aspiring basketball players. If you want to have a chance at being drafted by an NBA team, you need to register for the draft. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it.

Introduction

You must meet the eligibility requirements to enter the NBA draft. Players who wish to enter the NBA draft early must declare their eligibility no later than 60 days before the draft. If you declare for the NBA draft and do not hire an agent, you have until 10 days after the draft combine to withdraw your name from consideration. Once you hire an agent, you forfeit your college eligibility and cannot return to play college basketball.

Eligibility

You must be at least 19 years old during the calendar year of the draft and you must have been out of high school for at least one year to be eligible. There are also age limit rules for international players. If you meet these criteria, you may register for the draft by submitting the appropriate forms to the NBA.

Age

You must be at least 19 years old during the calendar year of the draft in order to be eligible. For example, if you turn 19 in December of 2020, you would be eligible for the 2021 NBA draft but not the 2020 NBA draft. There is no exception to this rule, so even if you are a few months shy of your 19th birthday, you will not be eligible for that year’s draft.

US Citizenship

All prospects who wish to enter the NBA Draft early must comply with the eligibility rules set forth by the league. In order to be eligible for the draft, players must be at least 19 years of age during the calendar year of the draft and must have also graduated from high school.

Players who are not eligible for the draft are automatically entered into the next year’s draft provided they still meet the eligibility requirements.

Education

You must be at least 19 years old during the calendar year of the draft in order to be eligible. Additionally, you must have been out of high school for at least one year and you cannot have already signed a professional basketball contract. If you meet both of those criteria, then you can declare for the draft by contacting the NBA office no later than 60 days before the draft is set to take place.

The Process

The NBA draft is an annual event in which the 30 franchises in the National Basketball Association (NBA) select players who are eligible and wish to join the league. The draft is held in June of each year. If you are an eligible player, you must declare your intention to enter the draft no later than 60 days before the draft. To be eligible, you must be at least 19 years old and one year removed from high school.

Applying for the Draft

Every year, around 60 players are drafted into the NBA. If you want to become one of them, you’ll need to declare for the draft. The process is pretty straightforward:

1. Get permission from the NBA.

You must submit a letter to the NBA office requesting permission to enter the draft. In order to be eligible, you must be at least 19 years old and one year out of high school. If you’re not eligible, you can still apply for “early entry.” This means you’re declaring for the draft without hiring an agent, and you can withdraw your name up until 10 days before the draft.

2. Submit your application.

Once you have permission from the NBA, you’ll need to submit an official application form. This is available on the NBA website. Be sure to fill it out completely and accurately – any mistakes could delay your application being processed.

3. Attend the combine (optional).

The combine is an opportunity for players to showcase their skills in front of representatives from all 30 NBA teams. It’s not mandatory, but it’s a good way to get yourself noticed by scouts and improve your chances of being drafted.

4. Wait for the draft results.
The draft takes place in June every year, so if you’ve applied you’ll just have to wait patiently until then to see if your name is called!

The Draft Lottery

The NBA Draft Lottery is an annual event held by the National Basketball Association (NBA), in which the teams who did not make the playoffs that year participate in a lottery process to determine the draft order in the NBA draft. The Draft Lottery is held every year in May, before the end of the regular season. The 14 teams who did not make the playoffs are entered into the lottery, and they are each given a certain number of ping-pong balls based on their record. The team with the worst record is given the most balls, and thus has the best chance to get the number one pick. The balls are then put into a machine and mixed up, and four balls are drawn out at random. These four balls represent the first four picks in the draft. Then, another ball is drawn, which represents the fifth pick. This process continues until all 14 picks have been determined.

The Draft Combine

The National Basketball Association (NBA) Draft Combine is a multi-day showcase that occurs every May, where college basketball players perform physical and mental tests in front of NBA coaches, general managers, and scouts. Players also take part in interviews, shooting drills, and five-on-five games. The NBA Draft Combine is invite-only and not all college players who declare for the draft are invited to participate.

The 2019 NBA Draft Combine was held from May 14-19 at the Quest Multisport Complex in Chicago, Illinois. 69 players were invited to participate in front of representatives from all 30 NBA teams.

Players who attend the combine have the opportunity to improve their draft stock by impressing teams with their physical abilities and basketball skills. For example, Zion Williamson, projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, impressed scouts and executives with his combination of size, speed, strength, explosiveness, and shooting ability during his time at the combine.

On the other hand, some players who were expected to be high draft picks see their stock fall after poor performances at the combine. For example, prior to the 2017 NBA Draft Combine, Lonzo Ball was projected to be a top-three pick but he ended up being drafted No. 2 overall after shooting poorly in drills and interviews.

In recent years, more and more players have chosen to skip the combine altogether. In 2019, eight of the top 10 prospects Did Not Participate (DNP) in either on-court or off-court activities. This includes athletic testing, measurements, interviews with teams/media, medical examinations/scans/tests or any combination thereof.

Reasons for not participating can vary from player to player but often times have to do with agents working out deals with individual teams ahead of time or wanting avoid any potential injury that could occur during the five-on-five games portion of the event

After the Draft

Undrafted Players

If you do not hear your name called on draft night, it does not mean that your NBA dreams are over. In fact, many successful NBA players went undrafted, including current stars like All-Star Damian Lillard and 3-point specialist Wesley Matthews. Each year, dozens of players who were not selected in the draft go on to have successful NBA careers.

There are a few different ways for undrafted players to end up on an NBA roster. The most common is to sign a free agent contract with the team of their choice after the draft. Undrafted players can also be invited to participate in an NBA Summer League and/or training camp with an NBA team. If they impress the team during that time, they may be offered a spot on the team’s final roster. Finally, some players may choose to sign a contract with a professional basketball team in another country and then later decide to come to the NBA.

If you find yourself in the undrafted category on draft night, don’t give up hope. Although it may be more difficult to make an NBA roster as an undrafted player, it is certainly not impossible. With hard work and dedication, you too can achieve your NBA dreams.

Free Agents

Free agents are players that are not under contract with any team. By declaring for the draft and not signing with an agent, players give up their collegiate eligibility and make themselves available to be drafted by an NBA team. A player can withdraw his name from the draft up to 10 days after the draft combine, which is usually held in mid-May. If a player does not sign with an agent, he has until 60 days after the draft to withdraw his name and retain his collegiate eligibility.