NBA Draft to be staged Nov. 18 in virtual fashion

FILE PHOTO — The first round draft board is seen during the 2019 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 20, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.  Sarah Stier/Getty Images/AFP

This year’s NBA Draft will be staged in virtual fashion from the ESPN studios in Bristol, Connecticut, the league announced Thursday.

The COVID-19 pandemic that halted the season in March and led to the playoffs being staged at a quarantine bubble in Orlando will also wipe out the usual gathering for the allocation of new league talent to NBA clubs.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver and deputy commissioner Mark Tatum will appear at ESPN to announce selections for the first and second rounds.

Select draftees, including many of the potential top picks, will appear through digital technology.

The Minnesota Timberwolves own the top pick in the NBA Draft followed in order by the Golden State Warriors, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks and Detroit Pistons.

LaMelo Ball, an 18-year-old guard from Southern California and the younger brother of New Orleans Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball, is likely to be among the top picks. He has already played briefly in Australia and Lithuania.

Teen guard Anthony Edwards from the University of Georgia and University of Memphis big man James Wiseman are also candidates for the top selection.