Editing NBA draft (section)

{{Short description|National Basketball Association Draft}}
{{about|<!--not used-->|the most recent draft|2025 NBA draft}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2014}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2022}}

The '''NBA draft''' is the [[National Basketball Association]]'s (NBA) annual event, dating back to [[1947 BAA draft|1947]], in which the teams in the league can [[Draft (sports)|draft]] players who declare for the draft and that are [[Eligibility for the NBA draft|eligible]] to join their organization.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NBA Draft Index {{!}} Latest and Historical NBA Drafts Info |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/ |access-date=2023-12-13 |website=Basketball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> The current NBA consists of 30 teams, and all thirty teams have at least one draft pick throughout the two draft rounds.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wasserman |first=Jonathan |title=2024 NBA Mock Draft: Full Two-Round Predictions, Biggest Risers and Fallers |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10099402-2024-nba-mock-draft-full-two-round-predictions-biggest-risers-and-fallers |access-date=2023-12-13 |website=Bleacher Report |language=en}}</ref> Historically, the vast majority of players drafted into the NBA are college basketball players.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-18 |title=2023 NBA Mock Draft: Brandon Miller, Scoot Henderson go behind Victor Wembanyama in two-round projection |url=https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/2023-nba-mock-draft-brandon-miller-scoot-henderson-go-behind-victor-wembanyama-in-two-round-projection/ |access-date=2023-12-13 |website=CBSSports.com |language=en}}</ref>

It is now common for players to also be drafted from international professional leagues,<ref>{{Cite web |title=None and done: Four of top five NBA draft picks didn't play for U.S. colleges |url=https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nba/none-and-done-four-of-top-five-nba-draft-picks-didnt-play-for-u-s-colleges |access-date=2023-12-13 |website=FOX Sports |language=en-US}}</ref> the [[NBA G League Ignite|G League Ignite team]], and youth professional basketball leagues. College players who have finished their four-year college eligibility are automatically eligible for selection, while the underclassmen have to declare their eligibility and give up their remaining college eligibility. International players who are at least 22 years old are automatically eligible for selection, while the players younger than 22 have to declare their eligibility. Players who are not automatically eligible but have declared their eligibility are often called "early-entrants" or "early-entry candidates". Selecting a player in the draft is one of the most important decisions for NBA front offices because of the effect it can have on the team, such as having many players playing in the same position, or that high overall draft pick turning out to be a [[draft bust|bust]], not only for next season, but also for the longevity of the franchise.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Milan |first1=Fabrício J. |last2=Soares |first2=André L. A. |last3=Quinaud |first3=Ricardo T. |last4=Kós |first4=Luisa D. |last5=Palheta |first5=Carlos E. |last6=Mendes |first6=Felipe G. |last7=Nascimento |first7=Juarez V. |last8=Carvalho |first8=Humberto M. |date=2019 |title=Power and agility testing within the NBA pre-draft combine |url=https://doi.org/10.1590/1980-0037.2019v21e59838 |journal=Revista Brasileira de Cineantropometria & Desempenho Humano |volume=21 |doi=10.1590/1980-0037.2019v21e59838 |issn=1980-0037}}</ref>

The draft usually takes place near the end of June, during the NBA offseason. Since 1989, the draft has consisted of two rounds; this is much shorter than the entry drafts of the other [[major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada]], all of which run at least seven rounds. Sixty players are selected in each draft. No player may sign with the NBA until he has been eligible for at least one draft.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|title=Article X: PLAYER ELIGIBILITY AND NBA DRAFT|year=2006|work=nbpa.com|at=Section 1a|url=http://www.nbpa.com/sites/nbpa.org/files/ARTICLE%20X.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130907202714/http://nbpa.com/sites/nbpa.org/files/ARTICLE%20X.pdf|archive-date=September 7, 2013|url-status=dead|access-date=February 11, 2013}}</ref>

In the past, [[NBA high school draftees|high school players were also eligible to be selected]]. However, starting in the [[2006 NBA draft|2006 draft]], high school players were not eligible to enter the draft directly after graduating from high school. The eligibility rules for the draft now state that high school players will gain eligibility for draft selection one year after their high school graduation, and they must also be at least 19 years old as of the end of the calendar year of the draft.

Some players have chosen to use that year to play professionally overseas for example, such as [[Brandon Jennings]] (Italy), [[Emmanuel Mudiay]] (China), and [[Terrance Ferguson]] (Australia). [[Thon Maker]] was eligible for the [[2016 NBA draft|2016 draft]] despite not going to college because he chose to undertake a [[postgraduate year]], so he was technically one year removed from graduation.