Basketball: What is the NBA draft and how does it work?

This week was a very important one in the world of professional basketball.

The 2023 NBA draft took place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York and saw 60 men picked by 30 teams over two rounds.

French player Victor Wembanyama was the first player selected at this year's draft.

The 19-year-old, who is 7ft 5in tall, was snapped up by the San Antonio Spurs.

But what exactly is the NBA draft and how does it work? Read our guide to find out more...

Wembanyama has been described as "a generational talent" and many see him as the most anticipated player since basketball legend LeBron James first appeared on the scene.

20-year-old Brandon Miller who stands at 6ft 9in was the number two pick in this year's draft and was chosen by the Charlotte Hornets, while Scoot Henderson was picked up by the Portland Trail Blazers as the third pick.

20-year-old identical twins Amen and Ausar Thompson made up the top five of picks. Amen, who is going to the Houston Rockets, was the fourth pick in the draft, while his brother Ausar was chosen straight after by the Detroit Pistons.

The National Basketball Association, or NBA, is a professional basketball league.

It's made up of 30 different teams from across North America and features some of the world's most talented players.

The NBA draft takes place once a year. It's a chance for teams to take on new players who haven't ever played in the NBA before.

Draft picks can be former professional players from other leagues in other parts of the world, or athletes who've previously played for their colleges.

Players who are up for the NBA draft have to be 19 or older and have to have been out of high school for at least one year.

As part of the process, 60 players are picked by each of the 30 professional teams across two rounds.

The order in which teams get to pick players depends on how well they did during the previous season.

The worst performing teams get to pick at the top of the draft, which means they have access to the best incoming talent.

However, a low performing team doesn't automatically mean they'll get to pick which players they want first.

Instead, the 14 lowest ranking teams take part in what's known as the NBA draft lottery. This decides the order in which the teams will pick their new players.

Numbered balls are put in a machine representing one to 14. Four balls are randomly drawn out each time and there are 1,001 different possible combinations the balls in the machine can make.

Each of the 14 teams are assigned a number of these combinations and the team that matches the numbers drawn out gets to make the first draft pick.

The order for the rest of the teams' picks is also decided using this lottery.

The chances of a team being picked first during the lottery is impacted by their performance during the NBA season.

It's because the team with the worst record gets more combinations assigned to them and better performing teams get less.

After the 14 teams which are part of the NBA draft lottery have made their selections, the remaining 16 teams are given the opportunity to make their picks.

This is also determined by their performances during the previous season, with the better performing teams choosing last.

The NBA champions are the final team to pick which players they want.

The idea is to make a more balanced league with fairer teams.