When the NBA made a decision to postpone the lottery for the 2020 NBA Draft, originally scheduled for May 19 in Chicago, it had no idea what would be going on with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Surely, if medical experts didn’t advise against it, the pushed-back date would allow the event to be held as it normally would have.
But it looks like that won’t be the case.
Per a Monday report from the Athletic’s Shams Charania, we’re going virtual.
“The NBA plans to hold the Aug. 20 Draft Lottery virtually, with 14 team representatives appearing via virtual display,” Charania reported via Twitter.
The NBA plans to hold the Aug. 20 Draft Lottery virtually, with 14 team representatives appearing via virtual display, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 10, 2020
There’s no word yet on the format of the NBA Draft itself, which was moved from June 25 back to Oct. 15.
But with concern over an impending second wave of the novel virus, the NBA might ultimately opt to go the route of the NFL with a virtual selection show as well.