Guide to the NBA Draft Combine

✧ The NBA Draft Combine is a showcase that takes place every May before the NBA Draft. At the combine, college basketball players take different types of tests:

Anthropology -> click here to find out more

Spot-Up Shooting -> click here to find out more

Non-Stationary Shooting -> click here to find out more

Strength & Agility -> click here to find out more

The players also play five-on-five scrimmages while NBA coaches, GMs and scouts watch. They can only be invited, and can't sign up themselves. Parts of the combine are shown on ESPNU and ESPN2.

The draft combine can affect a player’s draft status (where they are chosen in the draft and who by), their salary, and ultimately their career.

✧ Since the draft combine began in 2000, some absolutely crazy records have been set, which shows how athletic basketball players have become. Use this section to find notable combine records.

Longest Wingspan - Mohammed Bamba (7' 10")
Highest Max Vertical Leap - D. J. Stephens (46")
Most Bench Press Reps (185 lbs) - Jason Keep (27)
✧ There's more to the draft combine than just getting tested and playing in scrimmages. While players showcase their skills, NBA scouts have to watch them and pick carefully.

The NBA lets nine staff members from each team go along to the combine and view the on-court sessions of the combine (270 staff members in total).

The combine, of course, isn’t a franchise's top priority: they have a team to coach, after all. This means that if a player shoots badly one day, his draft stock won't necessarily slip. However, a player's performance can affect his market value.

Because of this, some agents advise their players to sit out during the scrimmages to protect themselves from injury. If the NBA knows that a player may choose to sit out, they often send invitations with a condition - they must play in the 5-on-5 portion.

The medical tests are made available to every NBA team after the combine, but if a team's scout sees something concerning, they might tell the GM not to draft them. Moreover, some team owners want a player to be medically cleared before their GM can draft them.

After the combine, teams invite players they have interest in to workouts - this takes place until the day of the draft.

✧ Use this section to find any terms you're unsure of.

Anthropology
Fifteen
GM
NBA Draft
Non-Stationary Shooting
Scrimmage
Spot-Up Shooting