What is the 2021 NBA Draft green room?

After a virtual green room for the 2020 NBA draft, prospects will have the ability to be in an actual green room in 2021. But what exactly is the green room?

The NBA draft is right around the corner, and it will be in person this year.

The event will be held at the Barclays Center, according to Shams Charania, returning to normalcy for the draft. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the league made the 2020 draft virtual. It was a great event, but there’s something different about watching players walk out and shake the commissioner’s hand. Not to mention the atmosphere, crowd, and other festivities that make the NBA draft a spectacle for fans and analysts.

The league tried to make things fun last year by making a virtual green room. It allowed fans into the house of NBA prospects the moment they were drafted, catching all of the raw reaction and emotion from friends and family. Since the draft is in person this year, the NBA extended invites to some of the top prospects to be in the green room during the draft.

What exactly is the green room, and what is so special about inviting players there?

What is the NBA Draft green room?

The list of prospects who were invited to the green room was released on Saturday, but what does that mean? Usually, when prospects are invited to the green room, it means their draft stock is pretty, at least a top-20 pick.

NBA executives take their time in deciding who to invite, as they don’t want any players to feel uncomfortable waiting for their name to be called. In addition, players can invite a select number of friends, family members and business personnel to join them in the green room for the special moment.

When a player is selected in the draft from the green room, they have the privilege of meeting the commissioner. They walk out of the green room, with the camera watching their every step down a long hallway to the stage. Once at the stage, they receive the team’s hat that drafted them and proceeds to shake the commissioner’s hand. After posing for pictures for a few moments, the newly drafted player is escorted off the stage.

In some instances, players will be interviewed by the media or embrace the fans of their new team. Sometimes they never return to the green room after they are drafted. In certain scenarios, the draftee immediately leaves to travel to his new city. Some draft prospects’ time in the green room could only last minutes, while others might last hours. Nevertheless, it is an amazing experience and a privilege to be invited.

Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green, Evan Mobley, and Jalen Suggs highlight the 15 prospects that received invites to the NBA Draft green room, according to Jonathan Givony. Five more will receive invitations after NBA teams vote. You only get to experience the green room once, so hopefully, all the players take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime moment.