ESPN, Inc. to Present 63rd Annual NBA Draft
Draft Televised in HD For First Time
For the seventh consecutive year, ESPN will provide exclusive live coverage of the NBA Draft Thursday, June 25, at 7 p.m. ET from the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. ESPN’s NBA Draft telecast will be available in high definition – for the first time – on ESPN HD. Stuart Scott will host ESPN’s coverage with college basketball analyst and Draft expert Jay Bilas and NBA analysts Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy. Additional contributors will include international basketball expert Fran Fraschilla; college basketball analyst Dick Vitale (via satellite); on-site reporters Ric Bucher and Andy Katz; on-site interviews by Mark Jones; green room interviews by Lisa Salters; and field reporter Rachel Nichols from Tarrytown, N.Y., site of the New York Knicks’ training facility.
ESPN’s comprehensive multimedia presentation of the NBA Draft will also include a live broadcast on ESPN Radio; a live simulcast on ESPN360.com and ESPN Mobile TV; SportsCenter Specials on ESPN June 22-24; expanded ESPNEWS coverage; ESPNU and ESPN International programming; ESPN Mobile Properties content; comprehensive reporting and analysis on ESPN.com; and an ESPN The Magazine Draft preview (on newsstands now).
ESPN’s Draft telecast will display a constant crawl on-screen graphic at all times – including during commercial breaks – continuously providing up-to-the-minute Draft updates including picks, trades, team-by-team summaries, player stats, the results of ESPN.com’s interactive polling in real time, Bilas’ “Best Available” prospects and Fraschilla’s top international prospects. The crawl will also feature team needs, which will include perspectives from Jackson and Van Gundy.
Additionally, those viewing the NBA Draft via ESPN HD will have access to this information and more throughout the entire telecast (with information included within the side columns of the screen).
NBA Draft production elements:
- Jay Bilas’ in-depth analysis of the top prospects;
- video conferencing with 15 team headquarters (Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Indiana, Los Angeles Clippers, L.A. Lakers, Memphis, Minnesota, New Jersey, Phoenix, Portland and Washington) providing immediate access to the key team personnel in this year’s Draft;
- “Draft Cam” from the Draft rooms of the Los Angeles Clippers (No. 1 pick in the Draft), Memphis Grizzlies (No. 2 Draft pick) and Minnesota Timberwolves (three first-round selections), providing a unique window to the decision makers as they make their selection;
- more than 130 player highlight packages featuring top prospects;
- behind-the-scenes video of prospects as they endure testing and measurements at the Chicago Pre-Draft camp;
- a special production shoot involving several of the top players in the Draft including Stephen Curry (Davidson), DeMar DeRozan (USC), Wayne Ellington (North Carolina), Tyreke Evans (Memphis), Jonny Flynn (Syracuse), Blake Griffin (Oklahoma), Tyler Hansbrough (North Carolina), James Harden (Arizona State), Jordan Hill (Arizona), Ty Lawson (North Carolina) and Hasheem Thabeet (UConn), providing content for a wide range of purposes – promotions, bumps, features, etc.
Draft commentator highlights:
- Dick Vitale, ESPN NCAA basketball analyst since 1979 and a former NBA coach, will appear via satellite;
- Fran Fraschilla, who has done extensive overseas scouting, will report on and evaluate the international field of players;
- Mark Jones will conduct interviews with the NBA draftees on site once they are selected;
- Lisa Salters will interview key figures (players, their families, college coaches, etc.) in the league’s Green Room;
- ESPN The Magazine senior writer Ric Bucher will cover breaking news, including trade talks;
- ESPN.com senior writer Andy Katz will report on breaking NBA Draft news, along with information pertaining to college players;
- Rachel Nichols will report from Tarrytown, N.Y., the site of the Knicks’ training facility. The Knicks hold the No. 8 pick in the Draft.
2009 NBA Draft Preview – June 24 at 10 p.m.
Stuart Scott, Jay Bilas, Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy will preview the NBA Draft in a live program on ESPN Wednesday, June 24, at 10 p.m. from Madison Square Garden. Analyst Fran Fraschilla and reporters Ric Bucher and Andy Katz will also contribute to the telecast. The one-hour preview will include live interviews with prospects, features, athlete profiles and in-depth analysis of team needs.
Stuart Scott, Jay Bilas, Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy will preview the NBA Draft in a live program on ESPN Wednesday, June 24, at 10 p.m. from Madison Square Garden. Analyst Fran Fraschilla and reporters Ric Bucher and Andy Katz will also contribute to the telecast. The one-hour preview will include live interviews with prospects, features, athlete profiles and in-depth analysis of team needs.
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio’s exclusive, live national coverage of the NBA Draft will tip off Thursday, June 25, at 7 p.m. with Marc Kestecher hosting and Will Perdue, Steve Lavin and Doug Gottlieb providing analysis and player profiles. ESPN The Magazine senior writer Ric Bucher will serve as on-site reporter providing behind-the-scenes information.
SportsCenter Specials June 22-23
ESPN2 will televise 60-minute SportsCenter Specials Monday, June 22, at 10 p.m. and Tuesday, June 24, at 9:30 p.m. Matt Winer will host the shows with analysts Jalen Rose (Monday and Tuesday), Len Elmore (Monday), Doug Gottlieb (Monday) and Steve Lavin (Tuesday), and reporters J.A. Adande and Andy Katz.
ESPNEWS
ESPNEWS will offer extensive Draft coverage with daily content including analysis from Jay Bilas and Fran Fraschilla and reporters Andy Katz and Ric Bucher, along with interviews with Draft candidates; NBA Draft preview segments; interviews with team executives; and live coverage of post-selection player news conferences.
ESPNU
ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network, will televise games featuring NBA Draft prospects Tuesday, June 23, through Friday, June 26. Draft prospects to be featured include DeJuan Blair (Pittsburgh), Stephen Curry (Davidson), Tyreke Evans (Memphis), Blake Griffin (Oklahoma), James Harden (Arizona State), Jordan Hill (Arizona), Jrue Holiday (UCLA) and Hasheem Thabeet (Connecticut).
ESPN International
ESPN International will offer a live telecast of the NBA Draft in the Atlantic (sub-Saharan Africa) and Pac-Rim regions.
ESPN.com
Content leading up to the Draft:
- ESPN’s Sports Guy, Bill Simmons, with his popular NBA Draft Diary;
- Chad Ford, Andy Katz, Chris Sheridan and Marc Stein reporting on the latest Draft news, trade talk and relative storylines;
- Ford’s Mock Draft 6.0 (June 23) and 7.0 (June 25, with updates throughout the day), predicting all first- and second-round picks;
- Ford’s podcast with NBA Draft insiders;
- John Hollinger’s Draft Rater – Hollinger’s new formula which projects NBA performance for college prospects and international players;
- Mock Draft Machine, allowing users to be the general manager for each franchise;
- Video breakdown of all the top NBA Draft prospects;
- ESPN.com’s Original Digital video feature “The Rookie: Blake Griffin,” plus a behind-the-scenes feature on this year’s hot prospect;
- TrueHoop’s Henry Abbott interviewing Draft prospects leading up to the draft;
- Conversation pages for each team’s fans to discuss the Draft;
- Ford’s 2009 NBA Draft Workout Tour (including special Insider content from the Reebok Camp in Treviso, Italy);
- Ford’s Insider content from the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago.
Content on Draft night:
- ESPN.com NBA Draftcast, a real-time application displaying picks, stats, analysis, chats and videos;
- Breaking news on NBA Draft night trades from Ric Bucher, Chad Ford, Andy Katz, Chris Sheridan and Marc Stein.
- Chats with players after they are selected in the Draft;
- Ford’s pick-by-pick instant analysis;
- Ford’s team-by-team draft grades;
- Live chats between Draft picks;
- Live SportsNation polling;
- Katz’s Draft recap;
- ESPN Radio live streaming Draft coverage;
- ESPN television interviews with top picks;
- Conversation pages for each team fans to discuss team prospects and position;
- TrueHoop Live Blog of NBA Draft from Madison Square Garden; content also distributed thru Abbott’s Twitter feed;
- TrueHoop Network pick-by-pick reaction from team bloggers;
- Player reaction to the draft on ESPN.com video.
Post-Draft day:
- 2010 NBA Draft Index;
- 2010 NBA Draft Top 100;
- Conversation pages for each team’s fans to discuss team prospects and position;
- Jay Williams; team-by-team analysis on ESPN.com video;
- Analysis from ESPN TV commentators at the NBA Draft on ESPN.com video
ESPN Mobile TV
ESPN Mobile TV will provide full simulcast coverage of the NBA Draft and ESPN’s industry-leading mobile Web site will have a special Draft section allowing fans to follow all the selections in real time. Fans will also be able to sign up for mobile alerts, providing instant selection updates and breaking news. ESPN MVP on Verizon wireless will feature news, updates, alerts management and video clips from the NBA Draft.
ESPN The Magazine
ESPN The Magazine’s current issue (on newsstands now) offers a preview of the NBA Draft including a Mock Draft featuring current players making the picks for their respective teams. Top five picks:
1) L.A. Clippers (selected by Ricky Davis) – Blake Griffin, Oklahoma
2) Memphis Grizzlies (selected by Rudy Gay) – Hasheem Thabeet, UConn
3) Oklahoma City Thunder (selected by Russell Westbrook) – James Harden, Arizona State
4) Sacramento Kings (selected by Spencer Hawes) – Ricky Rubio, Spain
5) Washington Wizards (selected by Antawn Jamison) – DeMar DeRozan
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