By Nikola Miloradovic / info@eurohoops.net
The 2025 NBA Draft is fast approaching, scheduled for June 25 and 26 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
With the event nearing, the NBA has already extended invitations to 19 of the most highly projected prospects to the Green Room — a designated area at the draft venue where lottery picks and other top prospects typically sit with their families, agents, and close contacts while waiting to hear their names called by Commissioner Adam Silver.
Among those 19 invitees are several European players, according to Jonathan Givony. Former Real Madrid and Barcelona standouts Egor Demin and Kasparas Jakucionis have already received their invitations, and now two French prospects — Noa Essengue and Nolan Traore — are set to join them on the Green Room list.
Essengue initially missed out on the first wave of invites due to his commitment to ratiopharm Ulm, who are currently competing in the German BBL Finals against Bayern Munich. With Bayern leading 1-0 in the best-of-five series and Game 3 scheduled for June 21, there is a chance that the series could conclude before the NBA Draft. However, if Ulm manages to extend the series, Essengue’s presence in Brooklyn could once again be in doubt, with Game 4 slated for June 24 and a potential Game 5 on June 26 — the same day as the second round of the draft.
Still, the inclusion of Essengue and Traore alongside Demin and Jakucionis underlines their status as potential high draft picks — whether or not they are physically present in the Green Room on draft night.
It’s also worth noting that the NBA is expected to invite five more players, meaning other European prospects could still be added. Among the possibilities are Essengue’s teammate at Ulm, Ben Saraf, as well as Cedevita Olimpija’s Joan Beringer, who is projected to go in the mid-first round, and Real Madrid’s Hugo Gonzalez.