The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (2300 UTC), and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN.

The New Orleans Hornets, who had a 13.70 percent probability of obtaining the first selection, won the NBA draft lottery on May 30.

This draft marked the first time that the first two players selected were from the same school (Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist were teammates at Kentucky).

[2] The draft contained seven players who combined for 10 championships as well as having Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard both named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.

Draymond Green won NBA championships with the Golden State Warriors in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2022, as well as being named an All-Star in 2016–2018 and 2022.

[4][5] Anthony Davis won a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020 and was an All-Star from 2014–2021, and 2024–2025, as well as the NBA All Star Game MVP in 2017.

[86] To determine the top three picks, fourteen ping pong balls numbered 1–14 were placed into a lottery machine.

For example, the Charlotte Bobcats had the worst record from the previous season, so they were assigned 250 of the 1,001 combinations, which meant they had a 25% chance of getting the first pick.

[b] The draft was conducted under the eligibility rules established in the league's now-expired 2005 collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with its players union.

The CBA that ended the 2011 lockout instituted no immediate changes to the draft, but called for a committee of owners and players to discuss future changes.