2020 NBA Draft rescheduled for Nov. 18, subject to change
Sep 16, 2020, 2:23 PM
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks to the media during a press conference at the United Center on February 15, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
The National Basketball Association announced Wednesday that the 2020 NBA Draft will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 18, and air on ESPN.
The date is subject to change depending on how the league manages the coronavirus pandemic and how ongoing discussions with the players union goes looking ahead to next season.
When the NBA ramped up the 2019-20 season after suspending play on March 12, it initially projected an Oct. 16 draft date that would closely follow the NBA Finals.
On Wednesday, the league said it wants additional time to “conduct the 2020 pre-draft process, gather more information about the potential start date for the 2020-21 season and advance conversations between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association regarding related Collective Bargaining Agreement matters.”
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The NBA has not yet decided on when the 2020-21 regular season will begin, though it is speculated that somewhere around Christmas would give decision-makers time to hold training camps after the draft and free agency.
Before the coronavirus altered the 2019-20 regular season and forced the NBA restart to Orlando — 22 teams wrapped the regular season at the Disney World bubble with eight seeding games each — the league expected June 25 to serve as draft night.
