A record 123 players will assemble at Wintrust Arena in Chicago for the NBA draft combine, G League Elite camp and pro day circuit starting Saturday, kicking draft season into high gear.
Chicago also plays host to the highly anticipated NBA draft lottery on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN), a monumental event that will determine which lucky franchise is given the right to select Victor Wembanyama, the most coveted basketball prospect since LeBron James in 2003.
The NBA moved the draft lottery to the middle of combine week a few years ago and invited top projected picks to be part of the television show.
It helped make the combine more attractive to top prospects, who had increasingly declined invites and elected not to show up at all (more on that later).