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Start times for two-day 2024 NBA Draft announced

Zack Geogheganby: Zack Geoghegan06/04/24ZGeogheganKSR
Photo of Rob Dillingham (left) and Reed Sheppard by Jordan Prather | USA TODAY Sports
Photo of Rob Dillingham (left) and Reed Sheppard by Jordan Prather | USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 NBA Draft is just a few weeks away. Will Reed Sheppard shock the world and go No. 1 overall? Will Rob Dillingham land in San Antonio alongside Victor Wembanyama? Will Justin Edwards sneak into the first round? Will Antonio Reeves hear his name called?

These are the questions that will be answered in late June. But when exactly does the draft begin? We can answer that question for you right now.

On Monday, the league announced that the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft will begin on Wednesday, June 26 at 8:00 p.m. EST on ABC/ESPN. Meanwhile, the second round will (somewhat strangely) begin a day later on Thursday, June 27 in the middle of the afternoon at 4:00 p.m. EST on ESPN and the ESPN App.

The draft will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.

Current mock drafts have Sheppard and Dillingham projected as Top 10 picks, so we won’t have to wait too long into Wednesday night before those two former Wildcats find their new homes. But for someone like Edwards, who is bordering as a first-round pick, he could be in for a stressful couple of days. This year’s draft features just 58 picks — 30 in the first round and 28 in the second.

This is the first year since the late 1980s that the draft will take place across two days. Normally, the NBA announces both rounds in one day. However, considering that late second-round picks usually hear their names called deep into the night, this new format will allow them a bigger spotlight when that time does come.

For the Big Blue Nation, that means you won’t have to stay up until midnight in hopes of seeing Antonio Reeves getting drafted. In fact, you might be able to see it happen while still at work on that Thursday.

ESPN’s 2024 NBA Mock Draft (as of May 31)

  • No. 3 | Reed Sheppard –> Houston Rockets
  • No. 6 | Rob Dillingham –> Charlotte Hornets
  • No. 29 | Justin Edwards –> Utah Jazz (via OKC)
  • No. 58 | Antonio Reeves –> Dallas Mavericks (via BOS)