ESPN will have the NBA Draft covered

With the Miami Heat still basking in the glow of winning the 2013 NBA Championship it is time for the NBA Draft to take center stage. Thursday, June 27, at 7:30 p.m. ET. Things will get going this year at the magnificent new Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

If you are an NBA fan then you know that ESPN has been all over the draft for the past week and they are ready for things to get started Thursday night. The network will be in Brooklyn in full force ready to do what they do best and that is breakdown a draft.

ESPN’s deep roster of basketball commentators will be on full display during the NBA Draft, offering extensive news and a wide variety of perspectives and opinions.

ESPN College GameDay’s Rece Davis, Jay Bilas and Jalen Rose will be joined by Jalen’s NBA Countdown colleague Bill Simmons to form a new main commentator team. Additionally, reporter Heather Cox will handle green room interviews.

 The Miami Heat’s Shane Battier – fresh off a 2013 NBA Finals victory – will join ESPN’s NBA Draft coverage. Battier will interview top Draft picks after they have been selected.

Here are more of the highlights:

 ESPN will have reporters on location in the four highest NBA Draft markets: Mark Schwarz in Cleveland; Josina Anderson in Orlando; Jeannine Edwards in Washington, D.C.; Shelley Smith in Minneapolis.

  ESPN college basketball reporter Andy Katz and NBA Insider Chris Broussard will provide on-site reports.

ESPN NBA analyst Tom Penn – former NBA team executive – will provide the front office and salary cap perspective. International basketball expert Fran Fraschilla will provide insights on International players.  ESPN will incorporate extensive statistical analysis into the telecast, including:

Multiplatform coverage:

The draft can be followed on broadband either on ESPN 3 or the Watch ESPN App. 

 ESPN Radio will broadcast the NBA Draft with host Marc Kestecher, analyst Will Perdue and Ryen Russillo (SVP & Russillo). Additionally, ESPN.com’s Marc Stein will contribute updates on trades and other behind-the-scenes stories as the Draft continues.

The ESPN NBA Draft podcast will be available this week, previewing Thursday’s event. Various ESPN basketball commentators are featured, including Katz, Seth Greenberg, Bruce Bowen and Israel Gutiérrez..