NBA draft will be strictly online

18, the league and ESPN
announced Thursday.

The first-round selections will be revealed by NBA commissioner Adam Silver
and the second-round picks will be unveiled by deputy commissioner Mark Tatum,
with both men at ESPN's studios in Bristol, Conn.

Players will be shown throughout the broadcast through video connections.

The event had been scheduled to be held in June at the Barclays Center in New
York, but the coronavirus pandemic pushed back the 2019-20 season into the
summer. With the regular season concluding in a "bubble" at the ESPN Wide
World of Sports Complex near Orlando and the playoffs conducted at the same
place, the Los Angeles Lakers won the championship on Oct. 11.

The draft lottery was postponed from May 19 to Aug. 20, and the Minnesota
Timberwolves won the right to select No. 1 overall.

Draft experts believe 6-foot-5 Georgia guard Anthony Edwards, 6-7 point guard
LaMelo Ball and 7-1 center James Wiseman are the top prospects. Ball played
professionally in Lithuania and New Zealand before he became eligible for the
NBA draft. Wiseman briefly played for the University of Memphis before
eligibility issues caused him to leave school.

--Field Level Media