NBA Draft 2026 Round 2 live updates: Start time, best available players, pick order, latest news and rumors

The second round of the NBA Draft is tonight at 8 p.m. Say, did you know that the only player on USA Basketball’s next World Cup qualifying roster to get drafted by an NBA team is Dewan Hernandez, taken 29th in the second round of the 2019 draft by the Toronto Raptors?

Beyond Hernandez, there are a bunch of players with prior NBA experience suiting up for the Americans in this next two-game window for 2027 qualifying, which take place July 3 against the Dominican Republic and July 6 against Mexico. The U.S. will visit both countries, respectively, for the games.

The others on the team with past NBA experience are Mike “Big Game” James, who is the EuroLeague’s all-time leading scorer; Matt Ryan, once a teammate of LeBron James (not to be confused with Mike); Jay Huff; Terry Taylor; Orlando Robinson; Jacob Gilyard; Kevon Harris; Jarrod Uthoff; and Gabe York.

This team will again be coached by former NBA coach Stephen Silas. The Americans are currently 3-1 in World Cup qualifying for the 2027 Cup, which is slated for Doha, Qatar, next August and September.

Playing well at the World Cup is the easiest way to qualify for the Olympics, though in the Americans’ case, they are hosts for the 2028 Games and therefore already have a spot in that tournament. The U.S. has also won the last five Olympic golds, so there’s that.