Vegas Odds On 2025 NBA Draft
The National Basketball Association (NBA) was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946, and the very first NBA draft was held March 1, 1947. With Clifton McNeely from Texas Wesleyan University the first overall pick chosen by the Pittsburgh Ironmen, the NBA Draft was born. And with an average salary of $5.2 million, making NBA players the world's best paid sportsmen, there is no shortage of young promising basketball players who hope to get picked up in the NBA Draft. Luckily for them, with an average career of barely 6 years, and the physical wear and tear an 82 game regular season has on the human body, there is need for a fresh infusion of talent each and every season. And that happens annually at the NBA Draft when all 30 teams gather to choose from the eligible player pool.
About the NBA Draft
The majority of the athletes are chosen from United States amateur college basketball teams, but international players annually play a very important part in the draft process as well. The first player from a nation or country other than the United States to be chosen first overall in the draft was Mychal Thompson in 2025, a citizen of the Bahamas. Who exactly is eligible for participation in the draft?
US college players who have completed their four-year college career are automatically eligible, and underclassmen have to declare their intent and forgo any remaining college eligibility. Any international players 22 years or older are automatically eligible, with younger players required to express their intent to be drafted. While high school players were drafted in the past, the current rules state that a high school player can only gain eligibility for draft selection one year after their high school graduation, and must also be at least 19 years old by the end of the NBA Draft calendar year.
Beginning in 2025, the NBA Draft Lottery was put in place to offer poor teams a better chance at the top talent available. The Lottery winner gets the first selection in the first round of the NBA draft, and all 14 non-playoff teams participate in the draft lottery. Weighted so that the teams with the fewest wins have the best chance of obtaining a higher pick, the NBA Draft Lottery determines the first 3 picks of the draft. The rest of the first round goes in order from the worst record to best record obtained the previous year. The current NBA Draft runs two rounds, and all undrafted players have a chance to try out for any team.
As an example of how quickly an NBA draft prospect can contribute to his team, the 2025 number one overall pick was Kyrie Irving from Duke. Picked up by Cleveland in a trade with the LA Clippers, the 6'3" former Blue Devils guard averaged 18.5 points, 5.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 3.7 rebounds in 51 games for the Cavaliers. Not all NBA draft picks turn out such impressive numbers their first season, but it is obvious that playing for the respected Duke college program helped Irving transition to the pro game. But many players have made what look to be Hall of Fame careers after they qualified for eligibility out of high school.
The NBA draft has seen players like Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Dwight Howard skip the college process altogether, while still being incredibly successful. The New Orleans Hornets won the Draft Lottery and have the first overall pick on Thursday, June 28 this year, and it is believed they will be picking Anthony Davis, from this year's NCAA Champion Kentucky Wildcats. The UK and the University of North Carolina stand poised to break a record this year, as they could have as many as 8 players drafted in the first round between the two teams, something that has never happened before.

Las Vegas NBA Draft Betting Odds
The following are the most current Las Vegas betting odds on NBA.
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