The 2016 NBA Draft, held June 23, 2016, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, set a record for international players and arrived two months after the league approved jersey sponsorships. The Philadelphia 76ers took Australian Ben Simmons first, and the Associated Press counted 14 international players in the first round and 26 overall, both records. For sports PR, the class showed a league's global reach and its sponsorship model changing in the same season.
This page was first published on June 29, 2016, six days after the draft. It was updated in October 2026 to correct the draft date and to replace unsourced claims with dated facts.
Who went first in the 2016 NBA Draft?
The Philadelphia 76ers selected Ben Simmons of LSU first in the 2016 NBA Draft, according to the Associated Press report of June 23, 2016. The Los Angeles Lakers took Brandon Ingram of Duke second, and the Boston Celtics took Jaylen Brown of California third, according to ESPN. The Phoenix Suns took Dragan Bender, a Croatian forward who had played for Maccabi Tel Aviv, fourth.
The New Orleans Pelicans took Buddy Hield of Oklahoma sixth, and the Denver Nuggets took Jamal Murray of Kentucky seventh with a pick obtained from New York. Hield is from the Bahamas and Murray from Canada, according to the draft table on Wikipedia.
How many international players were drafted in 2016?
The NBA said 26 international players were drafted in 2016, which surpassed the record of 21 set in 2003, according to the Associated Press. Fourteen of the 26 went in the first round, topping the 12 chosen in the first round in 2013. The AP also noted the first Austrian ever drafted, Jakob Poeltl, at No. 9 to Toronto, and the highest Greek player ever drafted, Georgios Papagiannis, at No. 13.
Counts differ by source because outlets use different definitions of an international player. Wikipedia lists 28 players representing countries other than the United States. This page uses the NBA's figure as reported by the Associated Press.
What did jersey sponsorships have to do with the draft?
The NBA Board of Governors approved jersey sponsorships on April 15, 2016, about two months before the draft. The league's release said the program would begin in the 2017-18 season as a three-year pilot, with a patch of about 2.5 by 2.5 inches on the front left of the jersey opposite the Nike logo. Each of the 30 teams would sell its own sponsorships, according to the NBA release as published by NBC Sports Boston.
The 76ers and StubHub described their deal as the first jersey patch sponsorship among major sports leagues in American history, according to the StubHub announcement. Crossing Broad reported the deal on May 16, 2016, 31 days after the league vote. Bloomberg reported on April 15, 2016, that the patches were expected to generate about $150 million across the league.
What can sports PR teams take from the 2016 draft?
Sports PR teams can take three practices from the 2016 draft, each tied to a dated record. The practices are to lead with a counted record, to pair a league rule change with a team announcement, and to attach a source to every claim.
- Lead with a count. The Associated Press report of June 23, 2016, turned a crowded draft into a number a reporter could quote: 14 international players in the first round. Publish the count, the prior record and the year of the prior record together.
- Pair a league rule with a team announcement. The April 15 vote gave the league its news, and the 76ers' May 16 StubHub deal gave a team its own, 31 days later. A team with a sponsor deal ready can use the league's news cycle.
- Attach a source to every claim. The 2016 version of this page gave the wrong draft date and an unsourced international count. Check each figure against the league's release before publishing.
How do the 2016 draft facts compare in one table?
The table below lists each fact on this page with its detail and its source. Each row can be checked against the named source.
| Fact | Detail | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Draft date and place | June 23, 2016, Barclays Center, Brooklyn | Associated Press, June 23, 2016 |
| First pick | Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers | Associated Press, June 23, 2016 |
| International record | 26 drafted, 14 in the first round | NBA figures via Associated Press, June 23, 2016 |
| Jersey sponsorship vote | April 15, 2016, for the 2017-18 season | NBA release, April 15, 2016 |
| First team patch deal | 76ers and StubHub | Crossing Broad, May 16, 2016 |
2016 NBA Draft questions answered
When was the 2016 NBA Draft?
The 2016 NBA Draft was held on Thursday, June 23, 2016, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The Philadelphia 76ers held the first pick and selected Ben Simmons.
How many international players were picked in the 2016 NBA Draft?
The NBA said 26 international players were picked in the 2016 NBA Draft, a record. Fourteen went in the first round, also a record, according to the Associated Press.
When did NBA jersey sponsorships start?
The NBA approved jersey sponsorships on April 15, 2016, and patches were scheduled to begin in the 2017-18 season as a three-year pilot. The 76ers announced the first team deal, with StubHub, on May 16, 2016.
How was this page made?
This page was updated in October 2026 from the original article of June 29, 2016. It was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources named in each section, and it replaces the earlier text, which contained an incorrect draft date.