2025 NBA Draft Invitations: The First Names on the List
A select group of thirteen players has received an invitation to attend the 2025 NBA Draft, which will be held in New York. According to sources close to the situation, these prospects will have the privilege of waiting in the “green room”, the area reserved for players and their entourage.
Leading the guest list is Duke’s Cooper Flagg, who is shaping up to be the first draft pick.
- Cooper Flagg
- Dylan Harper
- Ace Bailey
- VJ Edgecombe
- Tre Johnson
- Khaman Maluach
- Jeremiah Fears
- Kon Knueppel
- Kasparas Jakucionis
- Egor Demin
- Carter Bryant
- Derik Queen
- Asa Newell
It is expected that eleven additional invitations will be sent in the coming weeks.
The “green room” is a key space during the draft, where players, their families, and agents anxiously await the announcement of their names by the NBA commissioner, Adam Silver. Each player has the possibility of inviting six people to accompany them at their table.
The selection of draft invitees involves direct communication with the presidents or general managers of the teams that have selections in the first round. The teams are asked to vote for the top 25 players, whose names they expect to hear first. The goal is to prevent players from waiting too long in front of the television audience.
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However, there have been cases in the past of players who, despite being in the “green room”, have fallen to the second round. Notable examples include Bol Bol, Deyonta Davis, Nic Claxton, Maciej Lampe, and Rashard Lewis.
Last year, Johnny Furphy and Kyle Filipowski were invited among the top 20 players, but ended up being selected in the second round.
The NBA draft has been extended to two days since last year. This year’s first round will take place on June 25, and both rounds will be held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Additional scrutiny is expected in the latest “green room” invitations to prevent players and their families from having to wait a full additional day to hear their name.
In the last mock draft, all 13 initially invited players are projected as lottery picks, with the exception of Asa Newell from Georgia.
Noa Essengue, who is projected as a top 10 pick, is currently competing in the playoffs with Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany, which could make it difficult for him to attend the draft. The fifth game of the German BBL finals is scheduled for June 26, one day after the first round of the draft.
