Everything you need to know about the new NBA Draft format

With the 2024 NBA Finals nearly complete and the 2024 NBA Draft nearly upon us, we at A Royal Pain thought it wise to go over the brand new format for this year's draft.

Ever since 1974, the draft has been a one day event, with both (or however many rounds were being conducted at the time) all taking place in one single evening. But this year, for the first time in a half-century, the draft will take place over the course of two days.

This year, the draft will take place at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, New York, on Wednesday, June 26, and Thursday, June 27. The Wednesday portion will take place on ABC and ESPN at 8 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST). Meanwhile, the Thursday broadcast will begin at 4 PM EST on ESPN.

When Will The Sacramento Kings Pick?

If you hadn't already guessed, since the draft is two rounds long and the event is now taking place over the course of two days, each round will get its own day. So, the first round will be held on Wednesday, while the second round will be done on Thursday.

Fortunately, the Kings have a pick in each round. That means fans of the team will have a reason to watch on both days. They have the 13th overall pick in the first round and the 15th overall pick in the second round (45th pick overall).

Is This The First Time The NBA Has Ever Done This?

As we alluded to earlier, this isn't the first time the NBA Draft has taken place over the course of multiple days. In fact, there have been seven times in league history where the draft was carried out in two days. Those years were 1963, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1972, and 1973.

In all those years, the draft was ten rounds (or more). That made having a multiple-day draft even more necessary. The league didn't adopt its current two-round format until 1989.

If the new format is a success, I don't see a reason why the league won't continue using this style moving forward.