NBA Draft 2025: Green Room Invitations
Thirteen athletes have received invitations to the prestigious green room at the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft, according to information obtained by ESPN. The spotlight is on Cooper Flagg, a highly regarded player from Duke University who is anticipated to be the top overall selection. Alongside Flagg, other invitees include promising names such as:
- Dylan Harper
- Ace Bailey
- VJ Edgecombe
- Tre Johnson
- Khaman Maluach
- Jeremiah Fears
- Kon Knueppel
- Kasparas Jakucionis
- Egor Demin
- Carter Bryant
- Derik Queen
- Asa Newell
The NBA released this initial group of invitees on Tuesday, with plans for an additional eleven invitations to be issued in the coming days.
Understanding the Green Room Experience
The green room serves as a waiting area for players, their families, and their agents before they potentially hear their names called by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver from the podium. Each player is permitted to invite up to six guests to accompany them. The selection process for green room invitations involves discussions with team executives from the franchises that hold the top picks in the first round. These teams cast votes for the 25 players they predict will be selected early, ensuring that players do not endure long waits in front of a national television audience.
Securing an invitation to the green room is generally seen as a positive indicator for a player’s draft prospects. Despite this, history shows that some players have experienced unexpected drops into the second round while waiting in the green room, including notable players like Bol Bol and Nic Claxton. In the previous year, both Johnny Furphy and Kyle Filipowski were among the early invitees but ultimately fell out of the first round.
Upcoming Draft Details
The NBA Draft, now held over two days, will commence with the first round on June 25 and continue with the second round on June 26 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. The league is expected to exercise greater caution regarding the final selections for the green room to prevent any player and their families from having to anticipate waiting an additional day to learn their fate. In ESPN’s updated mock draft, all the initially invited players are expected to be selected in the lottery, with the exception of Asa Newell from Georgia.
Challenges for Prospective Players
It’s worth noting that Noa Essengue, who is projected to be a top-10 pick, may face challenges attending the event due to his current involvement in the playoffs with Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany. The deciding game of the BBL finals is set for June 26, coinciding with the second day of the draft.
