​  
The 2026 NBA Draft is set to begin Tuesday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
While the two-round event used to be a single-night affair, with all 60 picks being announced on the same evening, that changed in 2024. That year, the league opted to move to a two-night draft format, which remains in place today.

In this year’s draft, the first round will be held on Tuesday night while the second round will take place on Wednesday night.
There are a few reasons the NBA opted to make this change. At the time, the league argued that it gave front offices more time to deliberate, strategize and formulate trade offers.
“Based on feedback about the NBA Draft format from basketball executives around the league and my own experience in draft rooms, we believe that teams will benefit from being able to regroup between rounds and having additional time to make decisions during the second round,” NBA executive vice president and head of basketball operations Joe Dumars said at the time. “Two nights of primetime coverage will also enhance the viewing experience for our fans and further showcase the draftees.”

That quote from Dumars also addresses the elephant in the room: television revenue. By stretching out a second night of the draft, the league now has two separate primetime events that are sure to draw attention.
Fan sentiment regarding the two-night draft has been mixed, with some preferring the get-in, get-out style of old school drafts. Still, given the reasons previously outlined, the league is likely to keep this format in place for the foreseeable future.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Why NBA Draft is now held on 2 different nights
      ​Read More