The NBA Draft Green Room is the epicenter of draft night drama, where top prospects, flanked by family and agents, await their moment to shake the commissioner’s hand. It’s a high-stakes stage reserved for those projected to be early first-round picks, and an invitation signals elite status in the eyes of NBA teams.
For the 2025 NBA Draft, set for June 25 and 26 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the league has released its first batch of 13 Green Room invites, headlined by Duke’s Cooper Flagg, Rutgers’ Dylan Harper, and Rutgers’ Ace Bailey.
Yet, two notable prospects, Noa Essengue and Liam McNeeley, both projected as potential lottery picks, were surprisingly left off the initial list.
The Prestige of the NBA Draft Green Room
The Green Room symbolizes a prospect’s ascent to the NBA’s upper echelon. Positioned near the draft podium, it’s where cameras capture raw emotion as players learn their professional fates.
Invitations are extended to those expected to be selected early, typically within the first 20-25 picks, making inclusion a near guarantee of a first-round selection.
13 players invited to the NBA Draft green room thus far:
Cooper Flagg
Dylan Harper
Ace Bailey
VJ Edgecombe
Tre Johnson
Khaman Maluach
Jeremiah Fears
Kon Knueppel
Kasparas Jakucionis
Egor Demin
Carter Bryant
Derik Queen
Asa NewellNoa Essengue is still playing, not yet invited pic.twitter.com/OYdXVMRr3y
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 10, 2025
For the 2025 draft, the NBA has invited 13 players so far, including Flagg, Harper, Bailey, V.J. Edgecombe, and others, with another 11 invites expected.
Being left out, as Essengue and McNeeley are, raises questions about their draft stock and the factors influencing team decisions.
How Green Room Invitations Are Determined
The process for selecting Green Room invitees is meticulous, designed to align with team intentions. NBA general managers and team presidents with first-round picks vote on the top 25 prospects they expect to draft early.
This ensures players aren’t left waiting awkwardly in front of a national audience, a risk heightened by the draft’s two-day format, with the first round on June 25 and the second on June 26.
The league aims for precision, but missteps happen. Last year, players like Johnny Furphy and Kyle Filipowski sat in the Green Room only to slip to the second round, highlighting the process’s imperfections. Essengue and McNeeley’s exclusions suggest teams may have concerns, but the door remains open for late invites.
McNeeley’s and Essengue’s Surprising Omission from the List
Essengue, an 18-year-old French forward playing for Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany, ranks No. 9 on ESPN’s 2025 big board, making his Green Room snub particularly shocking. Standing at 6’9” with a 7’0” wingspan, he combines athleticism with defensive versatility.
His absence may stem from scheduling conflicts, as Ulm is vying for the league finals, with a potential Game 5 on June 26 overlapping with draft night. Teams may also hesitate due to his raw offensive game, which lacks consistent perimeter shooting.
Still, his youth and upside make him a lottery candidate, and a late invite could materialize if his season ends early.
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McNeeley, a 6’7” wing from Montverde Academy now at UConn, is another head-scratching omission. Projected as a mid-to-late lottery pick, his elite shooting and basketball IQ have drawn comparisons to NBA role players like Joe Ingles.
In his freshman season, he’s averaging 14.5 points and shooting 31.7% from three, showcasing the floor spacing that teams crave.
His exclusion may reflect concerns about his defensive limitations, as he lacks the explosiveness of peers like Edgecombe. However, his polished game and fit in modern lineups suggest he’s still a first-round lock. Additional invites could see him in the Green Room yet.
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