The 2020 NBA Draft was unlike any draft before it. Originally
scheduled for June, the event was delayed until November because
the COVID-19 pandemic had disrupted the NBA calendar. Instead of
the traditional draft-night ceremony at Barclays Center, the NBA
conducted the event virtually, with commissioner Adam Silver
announcing first-round selections from ESPN's studios in
Bristol, Connecticut.
Minnesota used the first overall pick on Georgia guard Anthony
Edwards. Golden State selected Memphis center James Wiseman
second, while Charlotte took guard LaMelo Ball third. Chicago
selected Patrick Williams fourth and Cleveland completed the
top five by selecting Isaac Okoro.
The class ultimately proved much deeper than its unusual
pre-draft circumstances suggested. Tyrese Haliburton went 12th,
Tyrese Maxey 21st, Immanuel Quickley 25th, Jaden McDaniels 28th
and Desmond Bane 30th, giving the draft several notable players
outside the top ten.
Draft night also included extensive movement of draft rights.
Isaiah Stewart and Saddiq Bey ultimately landed in Detroit,
Aleksej Pokuševski went to Oklahoma City, Immanuel Quickley
went to New York, Jaden McDaniels went to Minnesota and
Desmond Bane was acquired by Memphis.
2020 NBA Draft - First Round
| Pick |
Team |
Player |
School/Club |
Trade/Notes |
| 1 | Minnesota Timberwolves | Anthony Edwards | Georgia | |
| 2 | Golden State Warriors | James Wiseman | Memphis | |
| 3 | Charlotte Hornets | LaMelo Ball | Illawarra Hawks | |
| 4 | Chicago Bulls | Patrick Williams | Florida State | |
| 5 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Isaac Okoro | Auburn | |
| 6 | Atlanta Hawks | Onyeka Okongwu | USC | |
| 7 | Detroit Pistons | Killian Hayes | Ratiopharm Ulm | |
| 8 | New York Knicks | Obi Toppin | Dayton | |
| 9 | Washington Wizards | Deni Avdija | Maccabi Tel Aviv | |
| 10 | Phoenix Suns | Jalen Smith | Maryland | |
| 11 | San Antonio Spurs | Devin Vassell | Florida State | |
| 12 | Sacramento Kings | Tyrese Haliburton | Iowa State | |
| 13 | New Orleans Pelicans | Kira Lewis Jr. | Alabama | |
| 14 | Boston Celtics | Aaron Nesmith | Vanderbilt | |
| 15 | Orlando Magic | Cole Anthony | North Carolina | |
| 16 | Portland Trail Blazers | Isaiah Stewart | Washington | Traded to Detroit Pistons via Houston |
| 17 | Minnesota Timberwolves | Aleksej Pokuševski | Olympiacos | Traded to Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 18 | Dallas Mavericks | Josh Green | Arizona | |
| 19 | Brooklyn Nets | Saddiq Bey | Villanova | Traded to Detroit Pistons via LA Clippers |
| 20 | Miami Heat | Precious Achiuwa | Memphis | |
| 21 | Philadelphia 76ers | Tyrese Maxey | Kentucky | |
| 22 | Denver Nuggets | Zeke Nnaji | Arizona | |
| 23 | New York Knicks | Leandro Bolmaro | FC Barcelona | Traded to Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 24 | Milwaukee Bucks | RJ Hampton | New Zealand Breakers | Traded to Denver Nuggets via New Orleans |
| 25 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Immanuel Quickley | Kentucky | Traded to New York Knicks via Minnesota |
| 26 | Boston Celtics | Payton Pritchard | Oregon | |
| 27 | Utah Jazz | Udoka Azubuike | Kansas | |
| 28 | Los Angeles Lakers | Jaden McDaniels | Washington | Traded to Minnesota Timberwolves via Oklahoma City |
| 29 | Toronto Raptors | Malachi Flynn | San Diego State | |
| 30 | Boston Celtics | Desmond Bane | TCU | Traded to Memphis Grizzlies |
2020 NBA Draft - Second Round
| Pick |
Team |
Player |
School/Club |
Trade/Notes |
| 31 | Dallas Mavericks | Tyrell Terry | Stanford | |
| 32 | Charlotte Hornets | Vernon Carey Jr. | Duke | |
| 33 | Minnesota Timberwolves | Daniel Oturu | Minnesota | Traded to LA Clippers via New York |
| 34 | Philadelphia 76ers | Théo Maledon | ASVEL | Traded to Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 35 | Sacramento Kings | Xavier Tillman Sr. | Michigan State | Traded to Memphis Grizzlies |
| 36 | Philadelphia 76ers | Tyler Bey | Colorado | Traded to Dallas Mavericks |
| 37 | Washington Wizards | Vít Krejčí | Casademont Zaragoza | Traded to Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 38 | Utah Jazz | Saben Lee | Vanderbilt | Traded to Detroit Pistons |
| 39 | New Orleans Pelicans | Elijah Hughes | Syracuse | Traded to Utah Jazz |
| 40 | Memphis Grizzlies | Robert Woodard II | Mississippi State | Traded to Sacramento Kings |
| 41 | San Antonio Spurs | Tre Jones | Duke | |
| 42 | New Orleans Pelicans | Nick Richards | Kentucky | Traded to Charlotte Hornets |
| 43 | Sacramento Kings | Jahmi'us Ramsey | Texas Tech | |
| 44 | Chicago Bulls | Marko Simonović | Mega Bemax | |
| 45 | Milwaukee Bucks | Jordan Nwora | Louisville | |
| 46 | Portland Trail Blazers | CJ Elleby | Washington State | |
| 47 | Boston Celtics | Yam Madar | Hapoel Tel Aviv | |
| 48 | Golden State Warriors | Nico Mannion | Arizona | |
| 49 | Philadelphia 76ers | Isaiah Joe | Arkansas | |
| 50 | Atlanta Hawks | Skylar Mays | LSU | |
| 51 | Golden State Warriors | Justinian Jessup | Boise State | |
| 52 | Sacramento Kings | Kenyon Martin Jr. | IMG Academy | Traded to Houston Rockets |
| 53 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Cassius Winston | Michigan State | Traded to Washington Wizards |
| 54 | Indiana Pacers | Cassius Stanley | Duke | |
| 55 | Brooklyn Nets | Jay Scrubb | John A. Logan College | Traded to LA Clippers |
| 56 | Charlotte Hornets | Grant Riller | College of Charleston | |
| 57 | LA Clippers | Reggie Perry | Mississippi State | Traded to Brooklyn Nets |
| 58 | Philadelphia 76ers | Paul Reed | DePaul | |
| 59 | Toronto Raptors | Jalen Harris | Nevada | |
| 60 | New Orleans Pelicans | Sam Merrill | Utah State | Traded to Milwaukee Bucks |
2020 NBA Draft Notes
COVID-19 draft: The 2020 NBA Draft was originally
expected to take place in June but was postponed after the
COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the 2019-20 season. The draft was
eventually held on November 18, 2020 and conducted virtually.
Anthony Edwards: Minnesota selected Georgia guard
Anthony Edwards first overall. Edwards became the second player
the Timberwolves selected with the No. 1 pick, following
Karl-Anthony Towns in 2015.
James Wiseman: Golden State selected Memphis
center James Wiseman second overall. Wiseman's college career
consisted of only three games before he left Memphis and
prepared for the NBA Draft.
LaMelo Ball: Charlotte selected LaMelo Ball
third overall after he spent the previous season with the
Illawarra Hawks in Australia's National Basketball League.
Ball won the 2020-21 NBA Rookie of the Year Award.
Tyrese Haliburton: Sacramento selected Iowa
State guard Tyrese Haliburton with the 12th pick. Haliburton
developed into an NBA All-Star and later became a central piece
of Indiana's roster after being traded by Sacramento in 2022.
Tyrese Maxey: Philadelphia selected Kentucky
guard Tyrese Maxey 21st overall. Maxey developed into an
NBA All-Star and one of the most successful selections from
the second half of the first round.
Desmond Bane: Boston selected TCU guard Desmond
Bane with the final pick of the first round. His rights were
traded to Memphis, where he quickly became one of the league's
top three-point shooters and scorers.
Detroit trades: The Pistons were one of the
busiest teams of the draft. In addition to selecting Killian
Hayes seventh, Detroit acquired the draft rights to Isaiah
Stewart at No. 16 and Saddiq Bey at No. 19.
Immanuel Quickley: Oklahoma City selected
Kentucky guard Immanuel Quickley with the 25th pick. His rights
were moved through Minnesota to New York, where he began his
NBA career with the Knicks.
Jaden McDaniels: The Lakers selected Washington
forward Jaden McDaniels at No. 28. His rights first went to
Oklahoma City in the Dennis Schröder trade before Minnesota
acquired him as part of another draft-night transaction.
Memphis: The Grizzlies acquired two important
pieces outside the lottery, obtaining Xavier Tillman Sr. at
No. 35 and Desmond Bane at No. 30.
International class: Thirteen international
players from ten countries were selected in the 2020 draft,
including Killian Hayes, Deni Avdija, Aleksej Pokuševski,
Leandro Bolmaro, RJ Hampton, Théo Maledon and Vít Krejčí.
African representation: The 2020 draft also
featured a record number of players with ties to Africa,
continuing the NBA's growing international reach.
G League pathway: The draft took place shortly
before the NBA's G League Ignite program became a major route
for elite prospects. The unusual pandemic-affected season helped
accelerate changes in how young players prepared for the NBA.
Late-round value: Several productive NBA players
were found near the end of the draft, including Isaiah Joe at
No. 49 and Paul Reed at No. 58.
Final selection: New Orleans selected Utah State
guard Sam Merrill with the 60th and final pick. His rights were
traded to Milwaukee.
