NBA draft 2024: Start time, draft order, how to watch and stream

The 2024 NBA draft is Wednesday, and for the first time in two years, the Sixers actually have a first-round pick.

Unless they make a trade, the Sixers have the No. 16 pick heading into the draft, which is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. They also have the No. 41 pick in the second round, which for the first time will take place Thursday afternoon, thanks to the NBA draft being broken up over two days.

So what will the Sixers do? That’s anyone’s guess. President of basketball operations Daryl Morey said last month trading their first round pick is one of “all options on the table.” Columnist Marcus Hayes thinks the Sixers should deal the pick (and possibly more) for New Orleans Pelicans star forward Brandon Ingram.

Unlike French superstar Victor Wembanyama last year, there is no consensus about who will end up taken by the Atlanta Hawks with the No. 1 overall pick. Among the top prospects are 6-foot-8 French forward Zaccharie Risacher, 19-year-old French prospect Alex Sarr, UConn center Donovan Clingan, and Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard.

ESPN NBA draft analyst Jeremy Woo thinks there could be value in the back half of the first round for the Sixers, if they don’t deal their pick.

“Once you get to a certain point, sort of like mid to late first round and on, I think the depth of this draft is not bad,” Woo said.

Here’s everything you need to know to watch and stream this year’s NBA draft:

» READ MORE: Could the Sixers make a trade during the NBA draft? Here’s why ‘all options are on the table’

The 2024 NBA draft is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. Eastern. The draft will air on ESPN and ABC, and stream on ESPN+ (along with a host of subscription services that carry the networks).

Here’s how television networks are planning to cover the draft:

For the fourth-straight year, ABC will air its own coverage of the first round, focused more on the personal stories of the prospects than their impact on the court. Phoenixville native and Temple alumnus Kevin Negandhi will host alongside First Take’s Stephen A. Smith and former Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers.

ESPN will air the first and second rounds, hosted for the third year in a row by NBA Today host Malika Andrews. She’ll be joined by analysts Jay Bilas, Richard Jefferson, and Andraya Carter.

NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski will join both broadcasts, and for the second year in a row there won’t be “Woj Bombs” tipping off picks on social media before they’re announced.

The draft will be held in the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, which has hosted the event since the Nets’ arena opened in 2013 (though the 2020 draft was virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

The 2011 and 2012 NBA drafts were held at the Prudential Center in Newark, the Nets’ previous home. Madison Square Garden in New York City, home of the Knicks, hosted the draft from 2001 to 2010.

You have to go back all the way to 2000 to find an NBA draft not held in the New York metropolitan area. That year, the event was held at the Target Center in Minneapolis, the home of the Timberwolves.

Unlike last year, the Sixers will enter this year’s draft with two picks.

Barring a last-minute trade, the Sixers enter day one with one first-round pick (No. 16) and one second-round pick (No. 41).

The Sixers forfeited their own second-round pick after violating the league’s tampering rules during their pursuit of free agents P.J. Tucker and Danuel House Jr. in 2022.

The second round pick the Sixers have this year is from the Chicago Bulls, which Philly got from the Boston Celtics in the Jaden Springer trade.

The Atlanta Hawks have the No. 1 pick for the first time since 1975 after winning the draft lottery despite having just a 3% chance to win. Meanwhile, the San Antonio Spurs have two picks in the top 10 (No. 4 and No. 8) and the Portland Trail Blazers have two lottery picks (No. 7 and No. 14).