The 2024 NBA Draft is nearly upon us and the excitement is already building as the new format for the event comes into force this year.
For the first time, the Draft will be held across two different days on June 26 and 27. The first round held at Barclays Center on Wednesday, before moving onto the second round at ESPN’s Seaport District Studios in New York on Thursday.
The complete 2024 Draft order of selection was officially determined after the NBA Draft Lottery was made. The Atlanta Hawks won the No. 1 overall pick, followed by the Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs.
In terms of picking players, the rules are not as simple as many would be led to believe. While the vast majority of players arrive from US colleges, NBA Draft rules have been amended in recent years.
What are the eligibility rules for the 2024 NBA Draft?
Eligibility rules for prospective players have changed eight times during the history of the league. But one of the rock-solid rules is that no player is able to sign with the NBA until they are 19 years or older.
If a player’s 19th birthday occurs during or before the calendar year of the draft, they are automatically eligible as long as satisfy the following criteria:
- Complete four years of their college eligibility
- Graduate from high school in the US
- Have signed a contract with a professional basketball team outside the NBA, anywhere in the world, and have played under that contract. They also must be released from their contract before they can leave college to go to the NBA
Those who have reached the minimum eligibility age of 19 and meet the criteria for “international” players are automatically eligible if they are 22 during the draft’s calendar year and signed a contract with a professional basketball team outside the NBA within the United States, and have played under that contract.
Players who are not automatically eligible but wish to be drafted must declare their eligibility no later than 60 days before the draft. After this date, “early entry” players may attend NBA pre-draft camps and individual team workouts to show off their skills and obtain feedback regarding their draft positions.
Under the CBA regulations, a player may withdraw his name from consideration from the draft at any time before the final declaration date, which is 10 days before the draft.