Should the NBA Make College a Requirement?
When I walked across the stage alongside the 20 students in my graduating class, the thoughts of “what’s next”, filled the minds of every graduate. Although, I wasn’t on a path to the NBA, there wasn’t a single “rule” telling me what dreams I could or could not chase directly after receiving my diploma.
The panicked question students are always asked is “What are your plan’s after high school?” An athlete has to choose whether they want to focus on their career or quit their sport after high school. The National Basketball League’s eligibility delays players by a year from dreaming big after high school. All in all, a big social issue in the world of sports is, “Should the NBA make college a requirement?” It is considered in one of the top 15 most divisive issues in the sports world currently“ (Lee, Bleacher Report). The burden placed on every graduate’s back is heavy and by the league telling an athlete what to do is not allowing them to have full control of their future path guaranteed. Time is so limited and by forcing these athletes to stall a year from their career path sounds unethical.
One particular student in the class of 2003, NBA All-Star LeBron James knew he was going to be drafted into the NBA as soon as he graduated; however in 2006, the NBA eligibility took that safety net away after the option to play professionally straight out of high school was changed. “The One and Done Rule” is the new eligibility for the NBA meaning that a player must complete one year out of high school either continuing their career in college, joining the G-League, or training overseas for at least one year before entering the draft.
The reason behind the new rule in 2006 was to give athletes one year to mature on and off the court before entering the professional world, but after Rookie Zion Williamson risked injury in college before playing in the NBA, conversation about changing the rule came about.
College athletes are spending their prime years and young energy playing for no money and entertainment until they can be drafted to play professionally. These professional leagues need both their veteran players in the league, but also need a new fresh energy and if they are starting out of high school they have more years in the league to gain experience. Dedicating the next year of their life to free reign develops all risk and little reward, there is an underlying factor of the unknown hiding in each of their futures that could total their career into a bust or take them to a superstar level.
What resonates to me is if Williamson was drafted into the NBA right after he graduated, would skipping risking the college injury with no pay only gaining more experience be worth it. Williamson is the first player since LeBron to receive an excessive amount of attention before playing for the NBA, he could have easily played at a professional level. The rule is all risk for injury when he could have gone into the league, earned an income and builded his brand for his future if the age limit was lower.
This was Duke’s year with Williamson when his sneaker blew out mid game causing injury to his knee. Within fulfilling the NBA eligibility rule, by the time he made it to professional grounds, the injury had stuck with him leading him to not get the chance to fulfill his hype at full capacity.
“Injuries are an all-too-real possibility for top collegiate players who put their bodies — and potential livelihoods — on the line while gaining no financial security,” read in another publication, The Conversation. (Kraft, The Conversation). The sparked conversation revolved around changing the age limit and ideas around the rule to prevent other future superstars from putting their bodies through an extra year of stress on their bodies with little reward to the individual athlete besides “clout.”
The rule became a huge conversation, in the publication, The Conversation, in this present time, especially after NBA All-Star Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter accident months prior. Bryant was one of the successful superstars who went straight into the NBA after high school, to honor his legacy, there are talks about resuming back to before 2006 and lowering the age limit so other young athletes can follow in his footsteps.
“The Kobe Legacy: Should the NBA let high school players skip college?” Kraft’s article reads. The league lays out opportunities and challenges about changing their eligibility, “This arrangement enabled universities to capitalize on these incredible athletes, who developed a strong and loyal collegiate fan base before going pro” (Kraft, The Conversation). Referring to what is known as Article X, gave college universities “single-season success” provided by these one and done athletes (Kraft, The Conversation).
Most of the top-ten most successful athletes in the National Basketball Association, started after their high school graduation. In the world of sports, it revolves around survival of the fittest. If a player is ready for the league they should not have limited opportunity after they leave four years behind and want to start their professional career, but the NBA looks at it through the eyes of this possessed image of player maturity.
At ESPN, there is a lot of debate regarding athletes gaining physical and mental maturity by playing at a college level and that it keeps them from staying out of trouble, however, playing for college could double their wait time in between high school and the second lucrative rookie contract for teams to minimize risks for teams and hurts an athletes power.
The sports world depends highly on wanting an athlete to be fully ready by the time they play at a high level professionally and think that college prepares them, but there are lots of debates between physical and mental maturity of a player vs. the youthfulness and injury avoidance in the process. A league placing millions of dollars into the hands of a rookie athlete is absurd to the NBA, because they stand with having the athlete adjust and find their independence for a year before going pro. On the other hand, each individual desires different forms of how they choose to deal with their fortune and virtue. However, CBS Sports reporter, Colin Ward- Henringer thinks differently.
The “NBA won’t eliminate the one and done rule any time soon” (Ward-Henringer, CBS Sports). Ward-Henringer thinks giving the athletes other options fulfills the void of not going directly into the league; however the thought of getting to honor the legacy of Bryant could change the league’s mind. “It appears, however, that players entering the NBA straight out of high school are much farther off than we may have thought. On “The Woj Pod,” ESPN reporter Adrian Wojnarowski explained why the talks on eliminating the one-and-done rule have come to a standstill,” wrote Ward- Henringer (Ward-Henringer, CBS Sports).
Out of high school, most athletes possess neither the maturity nor the physical tools required to play at a high level professionally. Playing at the collegiate level solves that problem, preparing players for the pros while establishing a work ethic and (ideally) keeping them out of trouble, which improves the overall quality of gameplay and their chances to succeed long term. However, the eligibility doesn’t consider the fact that athletes should be able to make their own decisions and control their own likeness. As read in The Ringer’s article, High School Angst: What Abolishing One-and-Done Rule Would Mean for the NBA, “If these reform efforts have players’ best interests at heart,” then what are they doing to pursue that? (O’Connor, The Ringer).
The arguments set out by O’Connor achieved the goal. that although changing the age limit for the NBA seems simple, it will change a lot of the behind the scenes to the game. As for the NBA’s plan, “There are more hurdles to jump through before a change, but the NBA and NCAA are working toward an agreement.”
The NBA eligibility requirements restrict high school athletes from playing at a professional level right after high school. Colleges and the professional league must work together to provide athletes with individual attention to what their journey looks like, instead of making the decision for everyone. Every athlete’s situation is different with their playing style, maturity and who they are as a person. Just because it works for one athlete does not mean that it fits every athlete’s situation. There is room for superstars like past athletes who played professionally out of high school. There is no need to put their potential on hold and take away that opportunity.
LeBron is considered by many people, “The FACE OF THE NBA” and wants there to be a change to benefit the greatest players in the league. He was able to show how there are superstars straight out of high school and successful. Using his platform he created for himself as a voice, He is arguably the greatest player of all time next to Michael Jordan in NBA History. Every athlete’s dream is to continue their career after they graduate from high school at a professional level. Dreams should never be put on hold. The NBA’s eligibility rule should not stop an athlete’s journey by postponing it by one year. The choice of their future is in their hands and the benefit of the league. The NBA should let the athlete choose if their next step is the draft or another journey for a year. The league itself should not put that on hold and make the decision for them.
Work Cited
Lee, Amber. “15 Most Divisive Issues in Sports Right Now.” Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report, 3 Oct. 2017, bleacherreport.com/articles/2339584-15-most-divisive-issues-in-sports-right-now.
Nicole Kraft. “The Kobe Legacy: Should the NBA Let High School Players Skip College?” The Conversation, 31 Jan. 2020, theconversation.com/the-kobe-legacy-should-the-nba-let-high-school-players-skip-college-130787.
O’Connor, Kevin. “High School Angst: What Abolishing the One-and-Done Rule Would Mean for the NBA.” The Ringer, The Ringer, 25 Feb. 2019, www.theringer.com/nba/2019/2/25/18239529/nba-one-and-done-draft-zion-williamson.
Ward-Henninger, Colin. “NBA Won’t Eliminate One-and-Done Rule Any Time Soon, with Discussions Stalled over One Key Issue, per Report.” CBSSports.com, 17 Apr. 2020, www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-wont-eliminate-one-and-done-rule-any-time-soon-with-discussions-stalled-over-one-key-issue-per-report/.
O’Connor, Kevin. “High School Angst: What Abolishing the One-and-Done Rule Would Mean for the NBA.” The Ringer, The Ringer, 25 Feb. 2019, www.theringer.com/nba/2019/2/25/18239529/nba-one-and-done-draft-zion-williamson.
Lee, Amber. “15 Most Divisive Issues in Sports Right Now.” Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report, 3 Oct. 2017, bleacherreport.com/articles/2339584-15-most-divisive-issues-in-sports-right-now.
