The 2005 NBA draft took place on June 28, 2005, in the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The new collective bargaining agreement between the league and its players union established a new age limit for draft eligibility.

International players, defined in the NBA's collective bargaining agreement as non-US nationals who did not complete athletic eligibility at a U.S. high school, must turn 19 (or older) in the calendar year of the draft, up from 18.

As of 2024, Chris Paul is the only remaining player from this draft class to currently play in the NBA.

This year saw the highest amount of high schoolers entering the NBA draft with eleven total players officially entering, with Martellus Bennett, Keith Brumbaugh, and Brandon Rush each initially declaring their interest in joining the NBA draft, but ultimately withdrawing to instead spend some time in college going forward.