Where Is the NBA Draft 2026? Location, Date and Start Time

The moment basketball fans have been circling on the calendar all year is finally here. The 2026 NBA Draft is happening now, and if you're scrambling to figure out where it is, what time it starts, or how to watch, you're in the right place.

Brooklyn Is the Spot

The 2026 NBA Draft is being held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, across two nights on June 23 and June 24. This marks the third straight year the league has used a split-night format, spreading Round 1 and Round 2 across separate evenings instead of cramming everything into one long night.

Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets, is hosting both nights inside a packed arena in the heart of Brooklyn.

When Does It Start?

Here's where people get tripped up there's a difference between when the coverage kicks off and when the NBA officially starts the clock.

Round 1 is on Tuesday, June 23. According to the NBA's official Draft FAQ, the draft officially starts at 8 p.m. ET. ESPN's dedicated Round 1 coverage actually began at 7 p.m. ET, a full hour before the official draft start. ABC's separate presentation launched at 8 p.m. ET.

Round 2 lands on Wednesday, June 24 at 8 p.m. ET, exclusively on ESPN.

For radio listeners, ESPN Radio had coverage beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on both nights, per the official ESPN Press Room release.

How to Watch the NBA Draft

In the United States, both rounds are on ESPN platforms. Round 1 runs on ABC and ESPN as distinct presentations, not the same feed. ESPN's coverage, hosted by Malika Andrews, started at 7 p.m. ET with deep analytical breakdowns, team strategy discussions and real-time draft intel. ABC's presentation, hosted by Kevin Negandhi, began at 8 p.m. ET and was built around player stories, family moments and the emotion of draft night, a format aimed at a broader audience. According to the ESPN Press Room, this marked the sixth consecutive year ESPN produced a distinct broadcast of Round 1 on ABC.

Round 2 is an ESPN exclusive. You can also catch every selection through the ESPN App, which carries the full draft, and ESPN Radio coverage began at 7:30 p.m. ET on both nights.

According to the NBA's viewing FAQ, fans outside the United States and Canada can stream both rounds on NBA League Pass, though local restrictions apply. Canadian viewers can find coverage on TSN and Sportsnet.

For international viewers in India, the official 8 p.m. ET start times translate to approximately 5:30 a.m. IST on June 24 for Round 1 and 5:30 a.m. IST on June 25 for Round 2.

This is the 24th consecutive year ESPN platforms have carried the NBA Draft.

AJ Dybantsa Goes First No Real Surprise There

The Washington Wizards owned the No. 1 pick after winning the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery back in May. Washington, Indiana and Brooklyn all shared the same 14% odds at the top spot, though all 14 non-playoff lottery teams participated in the draw. Washington last held the No. 1 pick in 2010, when they selected John Wall.

They used it exactly the way most expected. AJ Dybantsa, the 19-year-old BYU forward who dominated pre-draft projections, went to Washington at No. 1. According to NBA.com's final consensus mock, Dybantsa was the top selection in all 10 compiled mocks. That kind of unanimity is rare.

The Utah Jazz took Darryn Peterson out of Kansas at No. 2. Peterson's college season was disrupted by a range of health issues, hamstring and ankle injuries, cramping episodes and flu-like symptoms, that caused him to miss 11 of Kansas' 35 games, per CBS Sports. After the season, Peterson told ESPN that medical testing linked the severe cramping episodes specifically to high-dose creatine supplementation, as reported by Reuters. Despite all of it, he averaged 20.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals in the games he played, shooting 38.2% from three. His talent was never the question.

Cameron Boozer landed in Memphis at No. 3, the Duke forward going where most projections had him. The official NBA results tracker confirmed all three picks at the research cutoff, with Chicago on the clock at No. 4.

The top three fell closely in line with the pre-draft consensus, Dybantsa was No. 1 in all 10 NBA.com mocks, while Peterson and Boozer each held their positions in eight of the 10 compiled projections. Strong consensus, though not universal agreement.

For live picks as they happen, the best place to follow along is the official NBA Draft results page, which updates in real time.

A Draft Class Built for the Long Game

The pre-draft conversation wasn't just about the top three. NBA.com's consensus mock consistently showed a top four worthy of the hype, with Caleb Wilson of North Carolina appearing most commonly at No. 4 in eight of the 10 compiled mocks.

The class is being talked about as one of the deeper groups in recent memory, though "deep draft" is always partly in the eye of the evaluator. What's measurable: NBA News and Notes confirmed 60 total selections across both rounds, the first full 60-pick draft since 2021.

The teams with the most ammunition heading into draft night were the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs, each holding a league-high four picks. Chicago held Nos. 4, 15, 38 and 56, while San Antonio held Nos. 20, 35, 42 and 44.

At the other end of the first round sits the New York Knicks at No. 24. New York defeated San Antonio 94–90 in Game 5 on June 14, clinching their first title since 1973. Their pick at No. 24 reflects where they fell in the reverse regular-season standings, as champions, they had one of the best records in the league, which pushed them toward the end of the first round.

The Washington Rebuild Just Got a Cornerstone

The Wizards didn't arrive at the lottery by accident. Washington's 2025-26 record of 17-65 was the worst in the NBA, a finish that guaranteed them the top lottery odds going into May, per multiple verified reports including Bullets Forever and the 2025-26 Wizards season Wikipedia entry. That positioning ultimately translated into the No. 1 pick.

The team had already added both Trae Young and Anthony Davis in separate moves during the season, per the NBA's 2025-26 trade tracker and the official Davis trade release.

Dybantsa steps into a roster that already has two established veterans, which shapes what Washington can reasonably ask of him early in his career.

As for Peterson heading to Utah the Jazz roster now features Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr., after Utah officially acquired Jackson in February 2026. Peterson's scoring ability and defensive instincts give Utah a guard-forward combo to build around.

Memphis landing Boozer at No. 3 gives the Grizzlies another young building block. The franchise has shown a willingness to develop through the draft in recent years, and Boozer carries the kind of skill set, inside scoring, physicality, free-throw drawing, that fits that timeline.

Check out the NBA Draft prospect profiles for full scouting breakdowns on every incoming player, and the 2026 NBA Draft full order for the complete pick-by-pick results as they get confirmed.