ESPN's Jonathan Givony on Saturday shared the Green Room Invite List for the 2019 NBA Draft. Twenty players, led by biggest No.1 pick candidate Zion Williamson, saw their names listed.
The list goes as follows: Zion Williamson (Duke), Ja Morant (Murray St), R.J. Barrett (Duke), Darius Garland (Vanderbilt), De'Andre Hunter (Virginia), Jarrett Culver (Texas Tech), Cameron Reddish (Duke), Coby White (North Carolina), Sekou Doumbouya (Limoges), Nassir Little (North Carolina), Jaxon Hayes (Texas), Rui Hachimura (Gonzaga), Brandon Clarke (Gongzaga), Romeo Longford (Indiana), P.J. Washington (Kentucky), Goga Bitadze (Mega Bemax), Tylor Herro (Kentucky), Keldon Johnson (Kentucky), Nickeil Alexander-Walker (VA Tech) and Bol Bol (Oregon).
Cameron Reddish #2 from Duke, Rui Hachimura #21 from Gonzaga, Ja Morant #12 from Murray State, R.J. Barrett #5 from Duke and Jarrett Culver #23 from Texas Tech deserve more attention at the 2019 NBA Draft. /VCG Photo
The Green Room is a special area at the Barclays Center for the NBA Draft. Youngsters who are expected to be selected with high picks will be invited to enter the Green Room with their families and agents. Though usually these invited will be selected in the first round, the Green Room is no guarantee for high picks and sometimes players could still wait until the second round to hear his name being mentioned.
Duke and Kentucky both contributed three young men to the Green Room, but Duke has some of the biggest names in this draft. Williamson who almost secured the No.1 pick aside, both Barrett and Reddish are hopeful to be selected by teams within the top 10 picks, if not top 5. Meanwhile, 21-year-old Japanese forward Hachimura from Gonzaga may not only become the first Japanese player who is selected in the NBA Draft, but also make the lottery picks (top 14). Hachimura is also one of the six non-U.S. players who were invited to the Green Room.
Players can still decided whether they will accept the invitation to enter the Green Room before the 2019 NBA Draft happens on June 20 – sitting under the spotlight to watch 30 players get selected before you do in the first round is not something pleasant after all.