NBA postpones draft lottery, combine

SHOWS: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (FILE – JUNE 19, 2019) (REUTERS – ACCESS ALL) 1. WIDE OF 2019 NBA DRAFT PREVIEW EVENT 2. VARIOUS OF ZION WILLIAMSON, WHO WOULD BE THE FIRST OVERALL PICK AT THE 2019 NBA DRAFT, AT PREVIEW EVENT CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, UNITED STATES (FILE – MAY 14, 2019) (STILL PHOTOS-MUTE)(USA TODAY SPORTS IMAGES – Broadcasters and Digital: MUST COURTESY ‘USA TODAY SPORTS IMAGES) 3. STILL PHOTO OF 2019 NBA DRAFT LOTTERY 4. STILL PHOTO OF NBA DEPUTY COMMISSIONER MARK TATUM (LEFT) POSING FOR A PHOTO WITH NEW ORLEANS PELICANS EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF BASKETBALL OPERATIONS DAVID GRIFFIN AFTER PELICANS WIN FIRST PICK IN 2019 DRAFT 5. STILL PHOTO BEFORE START OF 2019 NBA DRAFT LOTTERY STORY: The lottery to determine which NBA team will get the number one overall draft pick along with the draft combine have both been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, the league said on Friday (May1). Both events had been scheduled for Chicago with the lottery set for May 19 and the combine, where prospects for the draft are evaluated, held May 21-24. Neither event was rescheduled, and the NBA said the league would continue to closely monitor the coronavirus pandemic and consult with infectious disease specialists, public health experts and government officials. The draft, for the moment, remains scheduled for June 25. To conduct a draft, the NBA will need a draft order, which is determined by the league standings at the end of the season. The top four picks are decided by the lottery and are chosen from the 14 teams that do not make the playoffs. With the current campaign still in flux so is the draft. The NBA was the first of North America’s major sports leagues to shut down, suspending play on March 11 after a member of the Utah Jazz tested positive for the coronavirus. Like every other sport the NBA is running through a number of scenarios that would allow it to complete the current season. (Production: David Grip)