\n<\/p>\n
The NBA draft is an annual event during which the 30 NBA teams sign the best talents from college basketball.<\/b><\/p>\n
Taking place across two nights – both of which feature one round of picks – teams are given priority order based on performances in the previous seasons.<\/p>\n
Traditionally, 60 players are picked up in the draft but only 59 will be taken in the 2025 edition.<\/p>\n
That is because the New York Knicks lost their second-round pick after holding free-agency discussions with Jalen Brunson in 2022 prior to signing him earlier than they were permitted to.<\/p>\n
The first four teams in the draft are selected by the draft lottery, which is made up of teams who did not qualify for the play-offs in the previous season.<\/p>\n
The 2025 lottery was won by the Dallas Mavericks, despite them only having a 1.8% chance of doing so because of a 47.6% win record in the regular season.<\/p>\n
Though theoretically each team should have one pick per round, some end up with multiple picks – or none – as a result of trades in previous years.<\/p>\n
In Wednesday night’s first round, for example, the Brooklyn Nets took five of the 30 first-round picks as a result of trades.<\/p>\n
The majority of picks are taken from universities across the United States and Canada, but players can move from universities and professional teams from other countries.<\/p>\n
In the first round of the 2025 draft, players from teams in Germany, China, Slovenia, France and Spain were all selected.<\/p>\n
This article is the latest from BBC Sport’s Ask Me Anything<\/i><\/a> team.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n