Happy Hump Day! Today we bring you what everyone is talking about. Not the latest Kardashian baby news, but the NBA Draft.
#baller,
The Last Night’s Game
Five Things To Know About The NBA Draft
- In order to be eligible for the draft, which is tomorrow, players must be out of high school for one year. International players can also declare themselves eligible for the draft. Collegiate athletes who go undrafted cannot go back to school to play. They will be forced to play in the G League (formerly known as the D-League) or for a foreign team overseas.
- The 14 teams that did not make the playoffs are entered into a lottery to determine the order for the first 14 picks in the draft. The remaining picks fall in order of how the team finished in the playoffs.
- Teams put in a lot of advanced scouting and work leading up to the draft – all for two players. Unlike the NFL (National Football League) that has seven rounds or MLB (Major League Baseball) that has 40 rounds, the NBA draft is only two rounds with 60 players drafted.
- Unlike NFL (National Football League) commissioner Roger Goodell, NBA commissioner Adam Silver seems to be a fan favorite. How do we know this? Silver isn’t booed by the fans every time he takes the draft podium like Goodell or the previous NBA commissioner, David Stern. All in due time.
- One proud mama and former WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) player, Pamela McGee was the first person to have a son and a daughter drafted into the NBA and WNBA, respectively. JaVale McGee was drafted into the NBA in 2008 (he won a title this year with the Warriors) and his sister Imani Boyette was drafted into the WNBA in 2016.
- The rumor mill has been going crazy in advance of the draft. So crazy that we can’t begin to cover all of the mock drafts and trade rumors for you, but ESPN can. Here’s what’s happening on a court near you.
Overtime
- This year’s NHL Draft features a new expansion team, the Las Vegas Golden Knights, which will start playing this upcoming hockey season. The Golden Knights will pick 30 of their players from other teams today - one from each of the existing teams’ rosters. Current teams can protect some of their players from being picked off. Here’s the list of available players for the Golden Knights to choose from.
Sideline stat
- Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB) rookie Cody Bellinger is on fire. Yesterday he hit his 22nd home run in his 52nd game. That’s the fastest any player has reached that feat.
Coaches’ Corner
- The only sure things in life? Death and taxes. Maybe not if you’re soccer team Real Madrid. Former manager Jose Mourinho and star Cristiano Ronaldo are both under investigation for tax evasion. Only the tax man knows who on the team is next.