Player Invitations to 2024 NBA Draft Green Room
Twelve players have received coveted invitations to attend the 2024 NBA Draft, earning a seat in the prestigious green room. These invitations are a significant acknowledgment, often hinting at a player's high draft stock. This year, the invited players are rising stars in basketball, eagerly awaiting the life-changing moment when their names are called.
The first batch of twelve invitations includes Zacharie Risacher, Alex Sarr, Donovan Clingan, Reed Sheppard, Matas Buzelis, Stephon Castle, Dalton Knecht, Tidjane Salaun, Ron Holland, Cody Williams, Devin Carter, and Ja'Kobe Walter. An additional 11-12 invitations are set to be distributed in waves beginning next week.
Green Room Details
The green room, a staging area located in front of the NBA Draft podium, is a place where players, along with their families and agents, wait anxiously for Commissioner Adam Silver to announce their selection. This year, each player will be allowed to invite six people to sit at their individual tables, a reduction from the ten allowed last year. This change aims to manage space and maintain an intimate atmosphere for the participants.
Receiving an invitation to the green room is generally seen as a positive indicator of a player's draft stock. However, history has shown that this is not always a guarantee. Notable players such as Bol Bol, Deyonta Davis, Nic Claxton, Maciej Lampe, and Rashard Lewis, among others, experienced the disappointment of falling to the second round while sitting in the green room.
Unique Draft Format for 2024
This year marks a significant shift in the NBA Draft format, as it will span two days for the first time. The first round will take place on June 26 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, while the second round will follow on June 27 in lower Manhattan. This new format presents a unique challenge, especially regarding the final set of players invited to the green room. The NBA aims to avoid a scenario where an invited player and their family have to wait an extra day to hear their name called.
Last year, the final invitations were dispatched only two days before the draft, adding to the anticipation and pressure felt by the prospects and their families. For 2024, all twelve players from the initial batch of invites are projected to be lottery picks, which should mitigate the risk of a delayed selection.
Uninvited Projected Lottery Picks
Two notable projected lottery picks who have not yet received an invitation to the green room are Kentucky's Rob Dillingham and Serbian point guard Nikola Topic. Their absence from the initial list is due to specific circumstances affecting their draft eligibility and health.
Dillingham is still working to complete the necessary requirements to be eligible for selection in the draft, as mandated by the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement. An ankle injury prevented him from participating in athletic testing and shooting drills at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago in mid-May. This injury has also hindered his ability to attend private workouts with NBA teams. Fortunately, his ankle has recovered, and Dillingham plans to complete the requirements at the Lakers’ practice facility on Friday, according to his agent Lucas Newton of Klutch Sports.
Topic, on the other hand, has encountered a significant setback. He was found to have a partially torn ACL during the NBA Draft Combine in Treviso, Italy, last week. This discovery has injected uncertainty into his draft stock, as team doctors will need to evaluate the injury further and determine the best course of action regarding surgery and a subsequent recovery plan.
The Road Ahead
The upcoming weeks are critical for all draft prospects, especially those on the fringes of receiving a green room invitation. For many, this is the culmination of years of hard work, dedication, and sacrifice. As the draft approaches, anticipation builds, and the basketball world watches closely to see who will rise to the occasion and have their NBA dreams realized.
The expanded two-day format, coupled with the careful selection of green room invitees, aims to create a more exciting and inclusive experience for players and their families. While the invitations are a promising sign, they are only the beginning of a new chapter in these young athletes’ careers. The true test lies in how they will seize the opportunities ahead and make their mark in the NBA.