How to watch the 2026 NBA Draft live for free: Start time, order

It’s been less than two weeks since the New York Knicks hoisted the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy; now, the NBA is looking toward the future.

The 2026 NBA Draft begins tonight, and the Washington Wizards, who finished dead last in the 2025-26 season, landed the first overall pick.

What they’ll do with that pick isn’t so clear in the hours leading up to the draft. There’s no consensus first overall pick, and the team has a few different options, including BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, and Duke’s Cameron Boozer.

Dybantsa has been considered the front-runner for some time. In just one year with the Cougars, he put up an average 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

The Brooklyn Nets will make their first selection at No. 6, while the champion Knicks make their first pick at No. 24.

Below, we’ve outlined everything you need to know to tune into both days of the NBA draft, from channels to times.

2026 NBA Draft date and start time

The first round of the NBA Draft is tonight, June 23, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN and ABC.

Round 2 of the NBA Draft is June 24 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

How to watch and stream the 2026 NBA Draft for free

If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream the game for free.

DIRECTV is our top pick for watching live TV for free — its five-day free trial includes ESPN and ABC. When the trial is over, you’ll pay as low as $49.99/month and gain access to over 90 live channels.

If you aren’t ready to commit to a full-on subscription, you can try a Sling Orange Day Pass. Priced at $4.99, you’ll get 24 hours of access to all Sling TV Orange has to offer, including ESPN. Sling also offers weekend and week-long passes for its Orange plan, which offer between three and seven days of access.

2026 NBA Draft order:

Dallas has the first overall pick in this year’s draft. See below for a full list of the first round draft order.

1. Washington Wizards
2. Utah Jazz
3. Memphis Grizzlies
4. Chicago Bulls
5. LA Clippers (from Indiana)
6. Brooklyn Nets
7. Sacramento Kings
8. Atlanta Hawks (from New Orleans)
9. Dallas Mavericks
10. Milwaukee Bucks
11. Golden State Warriors
12. Oklahoma City Thunder (from LA Clippers)
13. Milwaukee Bucks
14. Charlotte Hornets
15. Chicago Bulls (from Portland)
16. Memphis Grizzlies (from Phoenix via Orlando)
17. Oklahoma City Thunder (from Phialdelphia)
18. Charlotte Hornets (from Orlando via Phoenix)
19. Toronto Raptors
20. San Antonio Spurs (from Atlanta)
21. Detroit Pistons (from Minnesota)
22. Philadelphia 76ers (from Houston via Oklahoma City)
23. Atlanta Hawks (from Cleveland)
24. New York Knicks
25. Los Angeles Lakers
26. Denver Nuggets
27. Boston Celtics
28. Brooklyn Nets
29. Cleveland Cavaliers (from San Antonio via Atlanta)
30. Dallas Mavericks (from Oklahoma City via Washington and Philadelphia)

NBA Draft second round draft order

31. New York Knicks (from Washington via Oklahoma City and Houston)
32. Memphis Grizzlies (from Indiana via Milwaukee)
33. Minnesota Timberwolves
34. Sacramento Kings
35. San Antonio Spurs (from Utah via Minnesota)
36. LA Clippers (from Memphis via Utah and Atlanta)
37. Oklahoma City Thunder (from Dallas)
38. Chicago Bulls (from New Orleans via Boston, Detroit, and Portland)
39. Houston Rockets (from Chicago via Washington)
40. Boston Celtics (from Milwaukee via Orlando)
41. Miami Heat (from Golden State via Charlotte, New York, Oklahoma City, and Atlanta)
42. San Antonio Spurs (from Portland via New Orleans)
43. Brooklyn Nets (from LA Clippers via Houston)
44. San Antonio Spurs (from Miami via Indiana)
45. Sacramento Kings (from Charlotte via San Antonio, Atlanta, and New York)
46. Orlando Magic
47. Phoenix Suns (from Philadelphia via Houston and Oklahoma City)
48. Dallas Mavericks (from Phoenix via Washington)
49. Denver Nuggets (from Atlanta via Brooklyn and Golden State)
50. Toronto Raptors
51. Washington Wizards (from Minnesota via Detroit and New York)
52. LA Clippers (from Cleveland)
53. Houston Rockets
54. Golden State Warriors (from LA Lakers via Toronto, Miami, and Cleveland)
55. New York Knicks
56. Chicago Bulls (from Denver via Minnesota, Phoenix, Charlotte, and Phoenix)
57. Atlanta Hawks (from Boston)
58. New Orleans Pelicans (from Detroit via New York, Brooklyn, Phoenix, Orlando, and the LA Clippers)
59. Minnesota Timberwolves (from San Antonio via Indiana)
60. Washington Wizards (from Oklahoma City via San Antonio and Miami)

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This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.