NEW YORK (REUTERS) - The National Basketball Association (NBA) draft will be an online-only affair on Nov 18, the league and ESPN announced on Thursday (Oct 22).

The first-round selections will be revealed by NBA commissioner Adam Silver and the second-round picks will be unveiled by deputy commissioner Mark Tatum, with both men at ESPN's studios in Bristol, Connecticut.

Players will be shown throughout the broadcast through video connections.

The event had been scheduled to be held in June at the Barclays Center in New York, but the coronavirus pandemic pushed back the 2019-20 season into the summer. With the regular season concluding in a "bubble" at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando and the play-offs conducted at the same place, the Los Angeles Lakers won the championship on Oct 11.

The draft lottery was postponed from May 19 to Aug 20, and the Minnesota Timberwolves won the right to select the No. 1 overall pick.

Draft experts believe 1.96m Georgia guard Anthony Edwards, 2.03m point guard LaMelo Ball and 2.16m centre James Wiseman are the top prospects.

Ball played professionally in Lithuania and New Zealand before he became eligible for the NBA draft. Wiseman briefly played for the University of Memphis before eligibility issues caused him to leave school.