The NBA draft is usually a glitzy spectacle starring young men decked out in fancy, sometimes loud, suits as they’re ushered into their dream career. 

But Wednesday night’s event will have a far different feel, courtesy of — like countless other events in 2020 — the coronavirus pandemic.

Following in the footsteps of the NFL, NHL, and WNBA, the NBA will hold a virtual draft. Instead of the commissioner, players, team representatives and fans converging on the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, all the parties will be scattered throughout the country to keep them safe from COVID-19. 

Commissioner Adam Silver and Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum will announce the picks from ESPN’s campus in Bristol, Connecticut. The players will largely be watching from their homes.

Thirty prospects have been mailed packages filled with caps for all 30 teams as well as technology to help the TV broadcast, including a Microsoft Surface tablet, Beats Powerbeats Pro earbuds and an iPhone with tripod. And team front-office executives will meet at their facilities to deliberate about their selections — ESPN will have live look-ins for 17 of them.

The Minnesota Timberwolves own the top overall pick and are expected to take either Georgia shooting guard Anthony Edwards, Memphis center James Wiseman, or point guard LaMelo Ball, who bypassed college to play overseas.

For the players, the wait has been a long one. 

The NBA draft is traditionally held in late June, shortly after the league’s champion has been crowned. But the pandemic interrupted the 2019-20 season in March, which resulted in a four-month hiatus before the season resumed with teams entering a “bubble” at Disney World. The season finally wrapped up with the Lakers beating the Heat in the NBA Finals in September. 

Some of this year’s prospects have taken the delay in stride.

“I feel like it was better for me,” Edwards told The Associated Press. “I haven’t complained. I haven’t tripped about it at all. I just felt like it was better for me because more time for me to get better and get ready for the NBA.”

This year's draft is challenging the NBA's talent evaluators like never before.

The coronavirus robbed the sport of the 2020 NCAA Tournament, a showcase that can help or hurt a prospect’s draft stock. For example, Ja Morant’s triple-double in a 2019 first-round upset of Marquette has widely been credited for solidifying him as the second overall draft pick by the Memphis Grizzlies.

There also was no scouting combine this year, teams could not host prospects at their facilities, and clubs were limited to visiting 10 players in-person to conduct private workouts. 

“It’s been more difficult just because the guys we have seen and worked out in the past, those workouts mean a lot,’’ Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge told reporters last week. “It doesn’t mean everything. We certainly know who and what they’ve done throughout their college and high school careers. 

“But getting to meet people and get up close with personal contact and watching them work out against other players you may be weighing them against is very helpful,” Ainge added. “We have been able to do none of that.’’ 

But general managers and scouts have not sat idle. The Timberwolves, for example, say they’ve thoroughly evaluated every player they deemed “draftable” and conducted more than 1,000 interviews with prospects, coaches and others who could help them get a better gauge on players. Minnesota also watched every minute of game film on the top prospects, Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Sachin Gupta told The New York Times.

Jim Clibanoff, director of scouting for the Denver Nuggets, told Nuggets.com they’ve even been evaluating video of players’ solo shooting sessions.

“This is the wildest draft I’ve ever been in, and I would expect it to be the most unpredictable,” said Tim Connelly, the Nuggets' president of basketball operations.

The draft begins at 8 p.m. ET. The NBA season will tip off Dec. 22.