The NBA has confirmed that the 2021 NBA Draft presented by State Farm® will take place on Thursday, July 29, starting at 8pm ET. The first round will reportedly be televised by ESPN and ABC, while the second round will only air on ESPN.
The deadline for an early entry player to apply for this year’s NBA Draft is Sunday, May 30 at 11:59 pm ET, while the deadline for an early entry player to withdraw from the NBA Draft is Monday, July 19 at 5 pm ET.
The 2021 NBA Draft will be on July 29, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. NBA Draft Lottery will be on June 22. Draft Combine scheduled for June 21-27.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 29, 2021
This year's draft class seems to be one of the less exciting comparing to recent years. G-League Ignite stars Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga as well as OSU's freshman guard Cade Cunningham are the potential No. 1 overall picks according to multiple NBA Draft boards.
The NBA also released the dates for the Microsoft Surface NBA Draft Combine, which is scheduled to take place Monday, June 21 through Sunday, June 27. According to the league, ESPN networks plan to televise the NBA Draft Combine, with coverage featuring five-on-five games and strength and agility testing.
Following the Combine, the NBA Draft Lottery 2021 presented by State Farm® will take place on Tuesday, June 22, airing on ESPN at 8:30 pm ET.