NEW YORK, March 5 -- The National Basketball Association announced Tuesday that NBA Draft 2002 will be held in New York City at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, June 26, 2002, marking the second straight year the event has been held in this venue.

Live coverage of NBA Draft 2002 will start at 7 p.m. ET on Turner Network Television (TNT) and ESPN Radio in the United States and The Sports Network (TSN) in Canada. The Theater at Madison Square Garden is located next to the home of the New York Knicks and the New York Liberty.

The NBA Draft, the rite of passage for many of the league’s future stars, first became a public event in 1979 and has grown into one of the NBA’s most popular events. A capacity crowd of 5,317 witnessed NBA Draft 2001 at The Theater after the Draft was successfully received in various NBA cities from 1992-2000. Prior to 1992, the Draft was held in various venues in New York City from 1979-91.