2021 NBA draft

2021 NBA draft

The 2021 NBA draft, the 75th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual draft, was held on July 29, 2021, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The NBA draft returned to Brooklyn after the previous year's draft was held through videoconferencing at ESPN Studios in Bristol, Connecticut due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the first overall pick, the Detroit Pistons selected Cade Cunningham. The NBA used a "ceremonial pick" for the late Terrence Clarke, between the 14th and 15th pick of the draft.

Draft picks

2021 NBA draft

Cade Cunningham was selected 1st overall by the Detroit Pistons.

Jalen Green (NBA G League Ignite) was selected 2nd overall by the Houston Rockets.

Evan Mobley was selected 3rd overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Scottie Barnes was selected 4th overall by the Toronto Raptors and voted the Rookie of the Year.

Josh Giddey was selected 6th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Jonathan Kuminga was selected 7th overall by the Golden State Warriors.

Franz Wagner was selected 8th overall by the Orlando Magic.

Corey Kispert was selected 15th overall by the Washington Wizards.

Alperen Şengün was selected 16th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder (traded to the Houston Rockets).

Jalen Johnson was selected 20th overall by the Atlanta Hawks.

Cam Thomas was selected 27th overall by the Brooklyn Nets.

Herbert Jones was selected 35th overall by the New Orleans Pelicans.

	Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game and All-NBA Team
+	Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Star Game
x	Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-NBA Team
#	Denotes player who has never appeared in an NBA regular-season or playoff game
~	Denotes player who has been selected as Rookie of the Year

<table><thead><tr><th>Rnd.</th><th>Pick</th><th>Player</th><th>Pos.</th><th>Nationality</th><th>Team</th><th>School / club team</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1</td><td>1</td><td>Cade Cunningham</td><td>PG/SG</td><td> United States</td><td>Detroit Pistons</td><td>Oklahoma State (Fr.)</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>2</td><td>Jalen Green</td><td>SG</td><td> United States</td><td>Houston Rockets</td><td>NBA G League Ignite (NBA G League)</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>3</td><td>Evan Mobley</td><td>PF/C</td><td> United States</td><td>Cleveland Cavaliers</td><td>USC (Fr.)</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>4</td><td>Scottie Barnes+~</td><td>SG/SF</td><td> United States</td><td>Toronto Raptors</td><td>Florida State (Fr.)</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>5</td><td>Jalen Suggs</td><td>PG/SG</td><td> United States</td><td>Orlando Magic</td><td>Gonzaga (Fr.)</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>6</td><td>Josh Giddey</td><td>PG/SG</td><td> Australia</td><td>Oklahoma City Thunder</td><td>Adelaide 36ers (Australia)</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>7</td><td>Jonathan Kuminga</td><td>SF</td><td> DR Congo</td><td>Golden State Warriors (from Minnesota)</td><td>NBA G League Ignite (NBA G League)</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>8</td><td>Franz Wagner</td><td>SF</td><td> Germany</td><td>Orlando Magic (from Chicago)</td><td>Michigan (So.)</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>9</td><td>Davion Mitchell</td><td>PG</td><td> United States</td><td>Sacramento Kings</td><td>Baylor (Jr.)</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>10</td><td>Ziaire Williams</td><td>SF</td><td> United States</td><td>New Orleans Pelicans (rights traded to Memphis)</td><td>Stanford (Fr.)</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>11</td><td>James Bouknight</td><td>SG</td><td> United States</td><td>Charlotte Hornets</td><td>UConn (So.)</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>12</td><td>Joshua Primo</td><td>SG</td><td> Canada</td><td>San Antonio Spurs</td><td>Alabama (Fr.)</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>13</td><td>Chris Duarte</td><td>SG</td><td> Dominican Republic</td><td>Indiana Pacers</td><td>Oregon (Sr.)</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>14</td><td>Moses Moody</td><td>SG</td><td> United States</td><td>Golden State Warriors</td><td>Arkansas (Fr.)</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>15</td><td>Corey Kispert</td><td>SF</td><td> United States</td><td>Washington Wizards</td><td>Gonzaga (Sr.)</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>16</td><td>Alperen Şengün+</td><td>C</td><td> Turkey</td><td>Oklahoma City Thunder (from Boston, rights traded to Houston)</td><td>Beşiktaş (Turkey)</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>17</td><td>Trey Murphy III</td><td>SF</td><td> United States</td><td>Memphis Grizzlies (rights traded to New Orleans)</td><td>Virginia (Jr.)</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>18</td><td>Tre Mann</td><td>PG</td><td> United States</td><td>Oklahoma City Thunder (from Miami via Phoenix to Philadelphia to L.A. Clippers)</td><td>Florida (So.)</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>19</td><td>Kai Jones</td><td>C</td><td> Bahamas</td><td>New York Knicks (rights traded to Charlotte)</td><td>Texas (So.)</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>20</td><td>Jalen Johnson+</td><td>SF</td><td> United States</td><td>Atlanta Hawks</td><td>Duke (Fr.)</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>21</td><td>Keon Johnson</td><td>SG</td><td> United States</td><td>New York Knicks (from Dallas, rights traded to L.A. Clippers)</td><td>Tennessee (Fr.)</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>22</td><td>Isaiah Jackson</td><td>C/PF</td><td> United States</td><td>Los Angeles Lakers (rights traded to Indiana)</td><td>Kentucky (Fr.)</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>23</td><td>Usman Garuba</td><td>PF/C</td><td> Spain</td><td>Houston Rockets (from Portland)</td><td>Real Madrid (Spain)</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>24</td><td>Josh Christopher</td><td>SG</td><td> United States</td><td>Houston Rockets (from Milwaukee)</td><td>Arizona State (Fr.)</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>25</td><td>Quentin Grimes</td><td>SG</td><td> United States</td><td>Los Angeles Clippers (rights traded to New York)</td><td>Houston (Jr.)</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>26</td><td>Bones Hyland</td><td>SG/PG</td><td> United States</td><td>Denver Nuggets</td><td>VCU (So.)</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>27</td><td>Cam Thomas</td><td>SG</td><td> United States</td><td>Brooklyn Nets</td><td>LSU (Fr.)</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>28</td><td>Jaden Springer</td><td>SG</td><td> United States</td><td>Philadelphia 76ers</td><td>Tennessee (Fr.)</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>29</td><td>Day'Ron Sharpe</td><td>C</td><td> United States</td><td>Phoenix Suns (rights traded to Brooklyn)</td><td>North Carolina (Fr.)</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>30</td><td>Santi Aldama</td><td>PF/C</td><td> Spain</td><td>Utah Jazz (rights traded to Memphis)</td><td>Loyola (MD) (So.)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>31</td><td>Isaiah Todd</td><td>PF</td><td> United States</td><td>Milwaukee Bucks (from Houston, rights traded to Washington via Indiana)</td><td>NBA G League Ignite (NBA G League)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>32</td><td>Jeremiah Robinson-Earl</td><td>PF/C</td><td> United States</td><td>New York Knicks (from Detroit via Philadelphia to L.A. Clippers rights traded to Oklahoma City)</td><td>Villanova (So.)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>33</td><td>Jason Preston</td><td>PG</td><td> United States</td><td>Orlando Magic (rights traded to L.A. Clippers)</td><td>Ohio (Jr.)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>34</td><td>Rokas Jokubaitis#</td><td>PG</td><td> Lithuania</td><td>Oklahoma City Thunder (rights traded to New York)</td><td>Žalgiris Kaunas (Lithuania)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>35</td><td>Herbert Jones</td><td>SF</td><td> United States</td><td>New Orleans Pelicans (from Cleveland via Atlanta)</td><td>Alabama (Sr.)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>36</td><td>Miles McBride</td><td>PG</td><td> United States</td><td>Oklahoma City Thunder (from Minnesota via Golden State, rights traded to New York)</td><td>West Virginia (So.)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>37</td><td>JT Thor</td><td>PF</td><td> United States</td><td>Detroit Pistons (from Toronto via Brooklyn, traded to Charlotte)</td><td>Auburn (Fr.)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>38</td><td>Ayo Dosunmu</td><td>PG</td><td> United States</td><td>Chicago Bulls (from New Orleans)</td><td>Illinois (Jr.)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>39</td><td>Neemias Queta</td><td>C</td><td> Portugal</td><td>Sacramento Kings</td><td>Utah State (Jr.)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>40</td><td>Jared Butler</td><td>SG</td><td> United States</td><td>New Orleans Pelicans (from Chicago, rights traded to Utah via Memphis)</td><td>Baylor (Jr.)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>41</td><td>Joe Wieskamp</td><td>SF</td><td> United States</td><td>San Antonio Spurs</td><td>Iowa (Jr.)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>42</td><td>Isaiah Livers</td><td>SF</td><td> United States</td><td>Detroit Pistons (from Charlotte via New York)</td><td>Michigan (Sr.)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>43</td><td>Greg Brown</td><td>PF</td><td> United States</td><td>New Orleans Pelicans (from Washington via Utah to Cleveland to Milwaukee, rights traded to Portland)</td><td>Texas (Fr.)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>44</td><td>Kessler Edwards</td><td>SF</td><td> United States</td><td>Brooklyn Nets (from Indiana)</td><td>Pepperdine (Jr.)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>45</td><td>Juhann Begarin#</td><td>SG</td><td> France</td><td>Boston Celtics</td><td>Paris (France)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>46</td><td>Dalano Banton</td><td>PG</td><td> Canada</td><td>Toronto Raptors (from Memphis via Sacramento)</td><td>Nebraska (So.)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>47</td><td>David Johnson</td><td>SG</td><td> United States</td><td>Toronto Raptors (from Golden State via New Orleans to Utah)</td><td>Louisville (So.)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>48</td><td>Sharife Cooper</td><td>PG</td><td> United States</td><td>Atlanta Hawks (from Miami via Portland to Sacramento)</td><td>Auburn (Fr.)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>49</td><td>Marcus Zegarowski#</td><td>PG</td><td> United States</td><td>Brooklyn Nets (from Atlanta)</td><td>Creighton (Jr.)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>50</td><td>Filip Petrušev</td><td>C</td><td> Serbia</td><td>Philadelphia 76ers (from New York)</td><td>Mega Basket (Serbia)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>51</td><td>Brandon Boston Jr.</td><td>SG</td><td> United States</td><td>Memphis Grizzlies (from Portland via Cleveland to Detroit to Dallas, traded to L.A. Clippers via New Orleans)</td><td>Kentucky (Fr.)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>52</td><td>Luka Garza</td><td>C</td><td> United States</td><td>Detroit Pistons (from L.A. Lakers via Detroit to Houston to Sacramento)</td><td>Iowa (Sr.)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>53</td><td>Charles Bassey</td><td>C</td><td> Nigeria</td><td>Philadelphia 76ers (from Dallas via New Orleans)</td><td>Western Kentucky (Jr.)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>54</td><td>Sandro Mamukelashvili</td><td>C</td><td> Georgia</td><td>Indiana Pacers (from Milwaukee via Cleveland to Houston, rights traded to Milwaukee)</td><td>Seton Hall (Sr.)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>55</td><td>Aaron Wiggins</td><td>SG</td><td> United States</td><td>Oklahoma City Thunder (from Denver via Philadelphia to Golden State)</td><td>Maryland (Jr.)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>56</td><td>Scottie Lewis</td><td>SG</td><td> United States</td><td>Charlotte Hornets (from L.A. Clippers)</td><td>Florida (So.)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>57</td><td>Balša Koprivica#</td><td>C</td><td> Serbia</td><td>Charlotte Hornets (from Brooklyn, rights traded to Detroit)</td><td>Florida State (So.)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>58</td><td>Jericho Sims</td><td>PF</td><td> United States</td><td>New York Knicks (from Philadelphia)</td><td>Texas (Sr.)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>59</td><td>RaiQuan Gray</td><td>PF</td><td> United States</td><td>Brooklyn Nets (from Phoenix)</td><td>Florida State (Jr.)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>60</td><td>Georgios Kalaitzakis</td><td>SF</td><td> Greece</td><td>Indiana Pacers (from Utah, rights traded to Milwaukee)</td><td>Panathinaikos (Greece)</td></tr></tbody></table>

Notable undrafted players

2021 NBA draft

These players were not selected in the 2021 NBA draft, but have played at least one game in the NBA.

Player	Pos.	Nationality	School/club team
Jose Alvarado	PG	Puerto Rico	Georgia Tech (Sr.)
Alex Antetokounmpo	PF	Greece	UCAM Murcia (Spain)
Joël Ayayi	SG	France	Gonzaga (Jr.)
Onuralp Bitim	SF	Turkey	Frutti Extra Bursaspor (Turkey)
Chaundee Brown Jr.	SG	United States	Michigan (Sr.)
D. J. Carton	PG	United States	Marquette (So.)
Justin Champagnie	SF	United States	Pittsburgh (So.)
Jalen Crutcher	PG	United States	Dayton (Sr.)
David Duke Jr.	SG	United States	Providence (Jr.)
Aleem Ford	SF	United States	Wisconsin (Sr.)
Marcus Garrett	PG	United States	Kansas (Sr.)
Jordan Goodwin	SG	United States	Saint Louis (Sr.)
Sam Hauser	PF	United States	Virginia (Sr.)
Aaron Henry	SF	United States	Michigan State (Jr.)
Jay Huff	C	United States	Virginia (Sr.)
Feron Hunt	SF	United States	SMU (Jr.)
Matthew Hurt	PF	United States	Duke (So.)
DeJon Jarreau	PG/SG	United States	Houston (Sr.)
Carlik Jones	PG	United States	Louisville (Sr.)
AJ Lawson	SG	Canada	South Carolina (Jr.)
Mac McClung	PG	United States	Texas Tech (Jr.)
JaQuori McLaughlin	PG	United States	UC Santa Barbara (Sr.)
RJ Nembhard	SG	United States	TCU (Sr.)
Daishen Nix	PG	United States	NBA G League Ignite (NBA G League)
Eugene Omoruyi	SF	Canada	Oregon (Sr.)
Jamorko Pickett	SF	United States	Georgetown (Sr.)
Yves Pons	PF	France	Tennessee (Sr.)
Micah Potter	PF/C	United States	Wisconsin (Sr.)
Austin Reaves	SG	United States	Oklahoma (Sr.)
Alex Reese	PF/C	United States	Alabama (Sr.)
Olivier Sarr	C	France	Kentucky (Sr.)
Jordan Schakel	SG/SF	United States	San Diego State (Sr.)
Javonte Smart	PG	United States	LSU (Jr.)
Dru Smith	SG	United States	Missouri (Sr.)
Terry Taylor	SG/SF	United States	Austin Peay (Sr.)
Ethan Thompson	SG	Puerto Rico	Oregon State (Sr.)
M. J. Walker	SG	United States	Florida State (Sr.)
Keaton Wallace	PG/SG	United States	UTSA (Sr.)
Duane Washington Jr.	PG/SG	United States	Ohio State (Jr.)
Trendon Watford	PF	United States	LSU (So.)
Phillip Wheeler	SF	United States	Ranney School
Brandon Williams	PG	United States	Arizona (So.)
McKinley Wright IV	PG	United States	Colorado (Sr.)
Moses Wright	PF	United States	Georgia Tech (Sr.)

Trades involving draft picks

Pre-draft trades

Prior to the draft, the following trades were made and resulted in exchanges of draft picks between teams.

Draft-night trades

Draft-night trades were made after the draft began. These trades are usually not confirmed until the next day or after free agency officially begins.

Combine

2021 NBA draft

Prior to the NBA Draft Combine, the 2021 NBA G League Elite Camp, which took place on June 19–21 at the Wintrust Arena and Marriott Marquis in Chicago, provided another chance for players not originally invited to the combine to impress scouts. The best performers from this camp were given invites to the main combine.

The NBA Draft Combine was held on June 21–27 at the same site sponsored by Microsoft. A total of 69 players attended the NBA Draft Combine 2021, with these players undergoing a series of interviews, five-on-five games, drills, and measurements. Lottery-projected pick Keon Johnson broke the combine's vertical leap record of 45.5 in (1.16 m), set by Kenny Gregory in 2001, with a vertical leap of 48 in (1.2 m). The combine also featured some recent graduates of the inaugural NBA G League Ignite team, which is a developmental basketball program meant to provide prospects with a paid alternative to playing NCAA college basketball. The success of these players, Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Daishen Nix, and Isaiah Todd, may pave the way for more top prospects to participate in the G League system pre-draft.

Projected top picks who decided not to attend the NBA Draft Combine include potential No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham and likely top-four pick Jalen Suggs. Numerous other potential prospects, especially those playing overseas, also decided to skip the Combine.

Draft lottery

2021 NBA draft

The NBA draft lottery was held on June 22. It was also televised nationally on ESPN.

<table><thead><tr><th>Team</th><th>2020–21 record</th><th>Lottery chances</th><th>Lottery probabilities</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1st</td><td>2nd</td><td>3rd</td><td>4th</td><td>5th</td><td>6th</td><td>7th</td><td>8th</td><td>9th</td><td>10th</td><td>11th</td><td>12th</td><td>13th</td><td>14th</td></tr><tr><td>Houston Rockets</td><td>17–55</td><td>140</td><td>14.0%</td><td>13.4%</td><td>12.7%</td><td>11.9%</td><td>47.9%</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>Detroit Pistons</td><td>20–52</td><td>140</td><td>14.0%</td><td>13.4%</td><td>12.7%</td><td>11.9%</td><td>27.8%</td><td>20.1%</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>Orlando Magic</td><td>21–51</td><td>140</td><td>14.0%</td><td>13.4%</td><td>12.7%</td><td>11.9%</td><td>14.8%</td><td>26.0%</td><td>7.1%</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>Oklahoma City Thunder</td><td>22–50</td><td>115</td><td>11.5%</td><td>11.4%</td><td>11.2%</td><td>11.0%</td><td>7.4%</td><td>27.1%</td><td>18.0%</td><td>2.4%</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>Cleveland Cavaliers</td><td>22–50</td><td>115</td><td>11.5%</td><td>11.4%</td><td>11.2%</td><td>11.0%</td><td>2.0%</td><td>18.2%</td><td>25.5%</td><td>8.6%</td><td>0.6%</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>Minnesota Timberwolves</td><td>23–49</td><td>90</td><td>9.0%</td><td>9.2%</td><td>9.4%</td><td>9.6%</td><td>-</td><td>8.6%</td><td>29.7%</td><td>20.6%</td><td>3.4%</td><td>0.2%</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>Toronto Raptors</td><td>27–45</td><td>75</td><td>7.5%</td><td>7.8%</td><td>8.1%</td><td>8.5%</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>19.8%</td><td>33.9%</td><td>13.0%</td><td>1.4%</td><td><0.1%</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>Chicago Bulls</td><td>31–41</td><td>45</td><td>4.5%</td><td>4.8%</td><td>5.2%</td><td>5.7%</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>34.5%</td><td>36.2%</td><td>8.5%</td><td>0.5%</td><td><0.1%</td><td>-</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>Sacramento Kings</td><td>31–41</td><td>45</td><td>4.5%</td><td>4.8%</td><td>5.2%</td><td>5.7%</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>46.4%</td><td>29.4%</td><td>3.9%</td><td>0.1%</td><td><0.1%</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>New Orleans Pelicans</td><td>31–41</td><td>45</td><td>4.5%</td><td>4.8%</td><td>5.2%</td><td>5.7%</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>60.6%</td><td>17.9%</td><td>1.2%</td><td><0.1%</td><td><0.1%</td></tr><tr><td>Charlotte Hornets</td><td>33–39</td><td>18</td><td>1.8%</td><td>2.0%</td><td>2.2%</td><td>2.5%</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>77.6%</td><td>13.4%</td><td>0.4%</td><td><0.1%</td></tr><tr><td>San Antonio Spurs</td><td>33–39</td><td>17</td><td>1.7%</td><td>1.9%</td><td>2.1%</td><td>2.4%</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>85.2%</td><td>6.6%</td><td>0.1%</td></tr><tr><td>Indiana Pacers</td><td>34–38</td><td>10</td><td>1.0%</td><td>1.1%</td><td>1.2%</td><td>1.4%</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>92.9%</td><td>2.3%</td></tr><tr><td>Golden State Warriors</td><td>39–33</td><td>5</td><td>0.5%</td><td>0.6%</td><td>0.6%</td><td>0.7%</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>-</td><td>97.6%</td></tr></tbody></table>

Eligibility and entrants

2021 NBA draft

The draft is conducted under the eligibility rules established in the league's 2017 collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with its players' union, with special modifications agreed to by both parties due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The previous CBA that ended the 2011 lockout instituted no immediate changes to the draft. but called for a committee of owners and players to discuss further charges.

• All drafted players must be at least 19 years old during the calendar year of the draft. In term of dates, players who were eligible for the 2021 NBA draft must have been born on or before December 31, 2002. • This draft could have possibly been the last in which high school players of any nationality are ineligible for pick after graduation as the two associations sought at first to lower the minimum age back to 18 and end the need to wait one year after their high school class graduated, also called the "one and done" requirement, ahead of next year's edition, as discussed in 2019. If approved, the current CBA may have to be amended and the amendment ratified. However, the ineligibility for the draft shortly after high school remained in place, as reported in 2020, unless there were further discussions about its repeal. • Since the 2016 draft, the following rules are, as implemented by the NCAA Division I council for that division: • Declaration for the draft no longer results in automatic loss of college eligibility. As long as a player does not sign a contract with a professional team outside the NBA, or sign with an agent, he retains college eligibility as long as he makes a timely withdrawal from the draft. • NCAA players now have 10 days after the end of the NBA Draft Combine to withdraw from the draft. Since the combine is normally held in mid-May, the current deadline is about five weeks after the previous mid-April deadline. • NCAA players may participate in the draft combine, and are allowed to attend one tryout per year with each NBA team without losing college eligibility. • NCAA players may now enter and withdraw from the draft up to two times without loss of eligibility. Previously, the NCAA treated a second declaration of draft eligibility as a permanent loss of college eligibility.

The NBA announced on February 26, 2021, that for this draft only, all college players who wished to enter the draft, regardless of class, had to formally declare eligibility. In October 2020, COVID-19 led the NCAA to declare that the 2020–21 season would not be counted against the college eligibility of any basketball player. The exact language of the CBA with regard to automatic eligibility of college seniors is "The player has graduated from a four-year college or university in the United States, and has no remaining intercollegiate basketball eligibility." Due to the NCAA ruling, every college senior in the 2020–21 season had remaining eligibility. The league was required to consult with the players' union and the NCAA to determine whether it would require seniors to opt out of the draft (which was implemented by the NFL for its 2021 draft, affected by a similar NCAA ruling for football) or require opt-ins, with the latter option being chosen.

Early entrants

Players who were not automatically eligible had to declare their eligibility for the draft by notifying the NBA offices in writing no later than at least 60 days before the event. For the 2021 draft, the date fell on May 30. Under the CBA a player may withdraw his name from consideration from the draft at any time before the final declaration deadline, which usually falls 10 days before the draft at 5:00 pm EDT (2100 UTC). Under current NCAA rules, players usually have until 10 days after the draft combine to withdraw from the draft and retain college eligibility. They must have withdrawn on or before July 7, 22 days prior to this draft.

A player who has hired an agent retains his remaining college eligibility regardless of whether he is drafted after an evaluation from the NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee. Players who declare for the NBA draft and are not selected have the opportunity to return to their school for at least another year only after terminating all agreements with their agents, who must have been certified no later than August 1, 2020.

The NBA released its official list of early entrants on June 2, 2021, consisting of 296 players from college and other educational institutions and 57 international players. The current version of the list found in this article omits players who withdrew from the draft after June 2.

College underclassmen

Terrence Clarke, a freshman guard from Kentucky, declared for the draft, but died on April 22, three months before it. At the draft, the NBA honored him with an honorary selection.

College seniors

"Redshirt" refers to players who were redshirt seniors in the 2020–21 season. "Graduate" refers to players who were graduate transfers in 2020–21.

International players

International players that declared for this draft and did not previously declare in another prior draft could drop out 10 days before the event, on July 19. A total of 51 international players withdrew their names from consideration for the draft, with only the following eight prospects remaining after the international deadline.

• Juhann Begarin – G, Paris Basketball (France) • Vrenz Bleijenbergh – F, Antwerp Giants (Belgium) • Biram Faye – C, Bàsquet Girona (Spain) • Usman Garuba – F, Real Madrid (Spain) • Josh Giddey – G, Adelaide 36ers (Australia) • Rokas Jokubaitis – G, Žalgiris Kaunas (Lithuania) • Alperen Şengün – C, Beşiktaş Icrypex (Turkey) • Amar Sylla – C, Filou Oostende (Belgium)

Automatically eligible entrants

Players who do not meet the criteria for "international" players are automatically eligible if they meet any of the following criteria:

• They have no remaining college eligibility. • If they graduated from high school in the U.S., but did not enroll in a U.S. college or university, four years have passed since their high school class graduated. • They have signed a contract with a professional basketball team not in the NBA, anywhere in the world, and have played under the contract.

As noted above, the NCAA's COVID-19 eligibility waiver for 2020–21 resulted in all college seniors having remaining eligibility, leading to the NBA and its players' union agreeing that seniors would have to declare for the 2021 draft.

Players who meet the criteria for "international" players are automatically eligible if they meet any of the following criteria:

• They are at least 22 years old during the calendar year of the draft. In term of dates players born on or before December 31, 1999, were automatically eligible for the 2021 draft. • They have signed a contract with a professional basketball team not in the NBA within the United States, and have played under that contract.

Player	Team	Note	Ref.
Owen Hulland	Adelaide 36ers (Australia)	Left Hawaii in 2020; playing professionally since the 2020–21 season
Filip Petrušev	Mega Basket (Serbia)	Left Gonzaga in 2020; playing professionally since the 2020–21 season
Isaac White	The Hawks (Australia)	Left Stanford in 2020; playing professionally since the 2020–21 season

Invited attendees

2021 NBA draft

After previously not having a proper "green room" invitation process for the 2020 NBA draft due to the COVID-19 pandemic (with players instead being conducted interviews and showings through videotelephony), the NBA allowed for invites to attend the NBA draft event once again this season. The NBA usually annually invites players to sit in the so-called "green room", a special room set aside at the draft site for the invited players plus their families and agents, with 2020 being considered an exception due to the unprecedented nature of COVID-19 impacting the world at the time. This year, a reported 20 players were invited (listed alphabetically).