NBA Draft Combine Week Opens in Chicago With 117 Players as Lottery Shapes Top-5 Race
Updated
Updated · ESPN · May 9
NBA Draft Combine Week Opens in Chicago With 117 Players as Lottery Shapes Top-5 Race
8 articles · Updated · ESPN · May 9
Chicago hosts the start of the 2026 NBA predraft process this week, with 117 invited players entering the NBA and G League combines as all 30 teams gather to evaluate prospects and conduct offseason business.
Wednesday and Thursday 5-on-5 scrimmages remain the main chance for players to raise their stock, even though top prospects often opt out and agents still weigh the risk of a poor showing.
Sunday's draft lottery looms over the week, with likely top-five names AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson drawing the most attention; Peterson's interviews and medicals are a key subplot after his cramping issues at Kansas.
NIL money is reshaping the pool, with several projected first-round college players returning to school and only four international-based prospects receiving combine invitations.
The G League combine began the week with 44 players competing for five to eight promotions to the main event, underscoring a thinner draft-eligible field and another pathway into the draft.
With NIL deals reshaping the talent pool, is the NBA Draft Combine facing an identity crisis?
As the NBA fights a 'tanking epidemic,' is the draft lottery system broken beyond repair?
Is a college medical issue about to cost a top NBA prospect millions?