When do players have to declare for the NBA draft? Closer look at the deadline for prospective athletes

The 2024 NBA draft is on Jun. 26 and Jun. 27 with an all-new two-day format to see the league spread the action across multiple days. Ahead of the draft, there are several important dates that young hopefuls must keep in mind to ensure eligibility before draft night. The process begins later this month, on Apr. 27.

At 11:59 p.m. ET on this day, we cross the Early Entry Eligibility Deadline for the draft. After this day, players can no longer declare their eligibility for the draft. From then, they will have until Jun. 16 at 5 p.m. ET to withdraw from the draft.

This means that players who competed in the recent NCAA March Madness Final will have time before they declare or don't for the draft. Of course, that doesn't mean that players haven't already started declaring for the draft.

For example, Bronny James has already declared that he will forego his sophomore year of college and instead enter the draft pool. While this process doesn't guarantee a player's selection, it marks the next step toward being drafted.

By declaring for the draft, NBA scouts will have better access to players before the draft and can work them out ahead of the draft combine.

Looking at key dates ahead of the 2024 NBA draft

With the news that the NBA draft is for two days compared to the traditional one-night format, many fans have wondered how this will impact the schedule. Looking at NBA.com we can see a clear breakdown of the key dates leading up to the draft.

Apr. 27: NBA Early Eligibility Deadline at 11:59 p.m. ET (8 p.m. PT)

May 12: NBA Draft Lottery 2024 (Televised)

May 13-19: NBA draft combine (Chicago, IL)

Jun. 16: NBA Draft Early Entry Entrant Withdrawal Deadline (5 p.m. ET | 1 p.m. PT)

Jun. 26: Round 1 draft night

Jun. 27: Round 2 draft night

Why is the draft taking place over two nights?

Adam Silver indicated late last year he was interested in seeing the draft's second round moved to its night. Previously, the first round had five minutes between draft picks, allowing teams to assess their draft board before making their picks.

Regarding the second round, however, picks switched to every two minutes, resulting in a more rushed feel among front offices. Now, teams will have four minutes to make their picks under the new two-night format.

Silver explained in February at the All-Star Weekend:

"We did hear from our teams that these second-round picks have become increasingly important. And their ability to reset, not just to have more time, which we've offered between picks in the second round, going from two minutes to four minutes."

While fans aren't sold on the two-night format based on the immediate reactions, it will be interesting to see if the sentiment changes in the future.