2019 NBA draft

General information
SportBasketball
Date(s)June 20, 2019
LocationBarclays Center (Brooklyn, New York)
Network(s)ESPN, Yahoo Sports
Overview
60 total selections in 2 rounds
LeagueNBA
First selectionZion Williamson (New Orleans Pelicans)
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The 2019 NBA draft was held on June 20, 2019. It took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. It was televised nationally on ESPN. State Farm was the presenting sponsor of the NBA draft for the eighth consecutive year.[1] This draft was the first to feature a new weighted lottery system in which the three worst teams each had a 14 percent chance of winning the lottery;[2] these teams were the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Phoenix Suns. The lottery took place on May 14, during the NBA playoffs. Three of the four teams who held the top four picks of the draft this year rose up from at least six spots in the lottery, including the New Orleans Pelicans, who won the first pick with 6 percent odds.[3] The Pelicans used that pick on Duke forward Zion Williamson . After Williamson, his Duke teammates R.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish was drafted in the top 10 as part of the Big 3 from Duke.[4] This draft included the first Japanese player to be selected in the first round, as well as the first Angolan player to be selected.

  1. ^ "Many League Sponsors Getting Involved With NBA Draft". sportsbusinessdaily.com. June 30, 2019. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
  2. ^ "NBA Board of Governors approves changes to draft lottery system". NBA.com. September 28, 2017. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  3. ^ Goldich, Mitch (May 15, 2019). "Don't Be a Fool: Tanking Is Not Dead". SI.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  4. ^ "Williamson Leads Trio of Blue Devils Drafted in Top 10". Duke University. June 21, 2019. Retrieved August 16, 2024.