The NBA draft order is revealed during the NBA Draft Lottery broadcast, which typically takes place in mid-May, shortly after the regular season ends and before the NBA Finals.

Quick scoop

  • For each season, the league announces a specific lottery date on its official “Key Dates” page; for the 2025 draft cycle, the draft itself is scheduled for June 25–26, with the lottery and order reveal occurring about a month earlier in May.
  • On lottery night, the NBA unveils the first 14 picks live on TV and streaming, showing envelopes opened in reverse order (14th to 1st), which is when the top of the draft order becomes official.
  • The rest of the first and second round order is determined by regular-season standings and trades, and sites that track picks (like Tankathon) update the full projected and confirmed order continuously once lottery results and standings are locked in.

How to get the exact date

  • Check the NBA’s official “Key Dates” page for the current season; once posted, it lists the exact day and time of the NBA Draft Lottery and draft.
  • You can also watch the official NBA Draft and NBA Communications social channels, which usually promote the lottery announcement date and broadcast details weeks in advance.

If you are asking about this upcoming draft specifically , the safest move is to look at the current season’s Key Dates and the NBA Draft Lottery explainer page, since those are updated as soon as the league finalizes the calendar.

TL;DR: The NBA draft order is announced live during the Draft Lottery in mid-May each year; check the current season’s Key Dates page to see this year’s exact lottery date and time.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.