
ESPN, ABC Set To Produce First-Ever Simulcast of NBA Draft The event returns to Barclays Center after the pandemic By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor
Thursday, July 29, 2021 - 12:32 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
At tonight's NBA Draft, ESPN will take a page from its NFL Draft playbook and, for the first time, simulcast its Round 1 coverage on both ESPN and ABC. Although it will be ESPN's 19th consecutive NBA Draft telecast, it will be the first that ESPN offers viewers in two parallel broadcasts.
ESPN has tapped Senior Operations Manager Steve Carter, a veteran of many NFL Draft broadcasts, to oversee the operation at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Tonight's production marks the Draft's return to Brooklyn - its home since 2013 - after the pandemic forced last year's event to be held on ESPN's Bristol, CT, campus.
It's exciting to be a part of something new with the [dual broadcasts] , says Carter, and I think it's going to be really great for the fans. Also, I think that anytime we can get back to doing our business as normal is a good thing. Getting the Draft back at Barclays is great. It's a big step towards getting back to normal, which I know we're all looking forward to.
ESPN Rolls Out Game Creek 79, Pride for Dual Broadcasts Although ESPN has provided dual broadcasts of the NFL Draft since 2018, simulcasting coverage on ESPN and ESPN2, tonight will mark the first time the NBA Draft has received the simulcast treatment. ESPN has rolled out four mobile units at Barclays, with Game Creek Video 79 (A and B units) dedicated to the ESPN broadcast and Pride (A and B) handling the ABC show.
ESPN's coverage will be hosted by Rece Davis and feature analysts Jay Bilas and Kendrick Perkins and NBA Draft analyst Mike Schmitz. Senior NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski will provide trade reports, breaking-news updates, and team insight throughout the night. ESPN's coverage will also provide commentary and analysis by NBA Front Office Insider Bobby Marks, host Rachel Nichols, and analyst Richard Jefferson.
On ABC, SportsCenter anchor and college football/basketball host Kevin Negandhi will host the coverage alongside NBA analysts Jalen Rose and Chiney Ogwumike and NBA reporter Malika Andrews. The panel will celebrate the prospects' journeys to the biggest stage in basketball. Andrews will conduct one-on-one interviews with draftees following each team's selection (20 prospects are expected to appear in person).
The ESPN and ABC sets will be located in front of a newly designed LED stage backdrop that will serve as the canvas for the night's festivities.
In addition, Miles Brown, actor/rapper/dancer and star of ABC's black-ish, will provide backstage access throughout Round 1 as an ABC Draft correspondent.
Both telecasts will begin with high-tech animation scored with original music by rapper Benny the Butcher, embracing the rap style of the early 2000s.
50+ Cameras Deployed for ESPN, ABC Broadcasts For the simulcast coverage, ESPN has rolled out roughly 50 cameras, most of them shared between the two productions. The complement inside Barclays includes nine robos, 13 roving RF cameras (including two Steadicams, five jibs with virtual-graphics capability, and an 8K shallow-depth-of-field camera), and a three-point aerial camera system.
ESPN also plans to mike up four prospects and will have dedicated robo cameras deployed at their tables to capture behind-the-scenes content as they wait to hear their name called.
In addition to coverage inside Barclays, ESPN has deployed cameras to capture shots of the Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square, and the NYC skyline, including a jib atop the roof of the Pier 17 at the South Street Seaport complex, where ESPN's Seaport Studios are located.
Virtual graphics and augmented-reality elements will play a major role in tonight's broadcast, with virtual banners and placards integrated into the show throughout the night. ESPN has outfitted five of its RF jibs, three additional jibs, and the aerial camera system with virtual-tracking technology to incorporate these elements.
Additionally, new high-end custom graphics and scores of personal player features will debut during the event.
SVG's Kristian Hernandez contributed to this report.
Most recent headlines
27/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
25/12/2025
Holiday lights are twinkling, hot cocoa's on the stove and gamers are settling in for a well-earned break.
Whether staying in or heading on a winter getawa...
24/12/2025
What is AI good for? Posted by MTI Film on December 24, 2025
What is AI good for?
What is AI good for?
It's been three years since ChatGPT first cap...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
The Boyfriend' Season 2 Unveils Heartwarming Trailer, Key...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
Love, Fights, and Everything in Between: Badly in Love' Returns for Season 2
Entertainment
24 December 2025
GlobalJapan
Link copied t...
24/12/2025
Scripps Research study links sleep variability with sleep apnea and hypertension How consumers' digital activity trackers could enable personalized health s...
23/12/2025
How guilas Cibae as Dominican Winter League Games Are Locally Produced for Glob...
23/12/2025
BitFire's Jim Akimchuk on Supplying Scalability and Customization in the Clo...
23/12/2025
CAMB.AI Enables European Athletics to Offer Multi-Language SupportPlan is to eventually offer translation into all languages spoken in EuropeBy Ken Kerschbaumer...
23/12/2025
Analysis: As sports media values trend negative, scarcity and quality are king By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Monday, December 22, 2025 - 14:08
Print ...
23/12/2025
ESPN, Disney, and NBA Return to the Animated Altcast Fray With Second Edition of...
23/12/2025
End the Year on a High Note and Donate to the Sports Broadcasting Fund Today! By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, December 23, 2025 - 12:25 pm
...
23/12/2025
The year is winding down, the weather outside is frightful, and it's the perfect time to escape into a story that warms the heart. For listeners looking for...
23/12/2025
A Zeus motor is hot fire tested at L3Harris' Camden, Arkansas, solid rocket ...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Lightware will exhibit several major product innovations at ISE 2026, including the new USB-C BOOSTER-V1, Google Meet. integration for various Taurus UCX models...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Taking the Stage at Carnegie Hall-On a Global Scale Boston Conservatory Orchestra students reflect on their epic concert marking the 80th session of the UN Gene...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's The Great Flood and Culinary Class Wars 2 Top Gl...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things By the Numbers: How the Global Phenomenon Shap...
23/12/2025
Experience the power of WO Automation for Radio's newest service, the System Effectiveness Review. Designed to help you achieve more, a System Effectiveness...
23/12/2025
23 Dec 2025
VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan and Rakuten Symphony Collaborate to A...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
How Steamy Can It Get? Single's Inferno' Season 5 Pre...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
33 Million Global Viewers on Netflix Watched Jake Paul vs. Ant...
23/12/2025
New technique lights up where drugs go in the body, cell by cell Scripps Research scientists developed a technique that maps drug binding in individual cells th...
22/12/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Presidio's Neerav Shah on the Role of Its Captiva...
22/12/2025
Hitting the bullseye: Sky Sports readies itself for the biggest PDC World Darts ...
22/12/2025
Unique skillset: Bringing new directors to the world of darts at The Worlds with...
22/12/2025
Gravity Media prepares for a flight of fancy with the PDC World Darts Championsh...
22/12/2025
One hundred and eighty: Gravity Media on hitting the production bullseye at the ...
22/12/2025
The Famous Group's Jon Slusser on Fascinating Fans Through Immersive Content...
22/12/2025
ESPN's Meg Aronowitz on Continuing High-Quality Broadcasts of Collegiate Spo...
22/12/2025
ESPN Takes Data-Driven Storytelling to New Heights with MNF Playbook with Next ...
22/12/2025
For a decade, popular German podcast Fest & Flauschig has hosted an annual Chris...
22/12/2025
Paramount Scores Largest Share Increase Among Distributors as Paramount and CBS...
22/12/2025
New multi-year deal integrates Roku's data to fuel Nielsen's measurement suite
Roku gains access to Nielsen's streaming ratings, showing The Roku C...