Facing an opt-out deadline of midnight Eastern time on Friday night, the NBA and National Basketball Players Association continue to discuss a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
If the two sides do reach an agreement today, the next CBA won’t change the “one-and-done” rule for draft prospects, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter links). Discussions about that rule are no longer taking part of the CBA negotiations, Woj says.
The one-and-done rule, established in 2005, prohibits NBA hopefuls from entering the draft directly out of high school. Those players must wait a year before declaring for the NBA draft. As a result, many of the top prospects have become known as “one-and-done” players, since they spend just one year at college (or elsewhere) before making themselves draft-eligible.
Players used to be able to enter the draft directly out of high school – LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett were among the stars who did so – and there was some speculation in recent years that the NBA and NBPA would once again allow that to happen as part of the new CBA.
However, ESPN has been reporting for quite some time that no changes to the one-and-done rule are imminent, despite rumors the contrary, and it appears that’s still the case.
As Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter links) observes, there’s not a lot of motivation among teams, team owners, or players to change the rule. Giving NBA teams the ability to draft even younger players would make scouting more challenging and would eliminate jobs for veteran players.
According to Givony, while some people in the industry have had moral concerns about “forcing” 18-year-olds to attend college instead of beginning their professional careers, the emergence of alternate professional pathways to the NBA (ie. the G League Ignite and Overtime Elite) and NIL deals for college players have helped allay many of those concerns.
The NBA and NBPA both hope that a tentative agreement on a new CBA can be reached before tonight’s deadline, Wojnarowski notes. If there’s no deal in place by the end of the day, the league is expected to exercise its opt-out clause, which would move the expiry date of the current CBA up by one year to June 30, 2023. The two sides would still have three months to agree to a new CBA to avoid a lockout on July 1.
Why is forcing in quotes? That’s exactly what the rule does.
Actually, no. They don’t have to go to college. They could go to the g league. Or they could not play. It’s not like they graduate, get handcuffed, and sent to an institution of higher learning.
Maybe you should spend some time at one of these colleges you’re so knowledgeable about…
Still one of the stupidest rules around today. It was stupid when they created it and it’s even more stupid now.
I’m actually in favor of the one and done. Guy’s coming out of high school and then go to college have a serious ramp up in the level of competition. That ramp up is even greater in the NBA.
Too many kids are forgoing a chance at a college education out of high school because of their perceived basketball skills and college might ramp them up in life.
I could be wrong on this and there’s many who disagree with me but the path from high school straight to the NBA without a minor league system like baseball, just puts the player in such a tough spot. He’s not ready, the team invests 3 years in the player, maybe five, and he’s finally serviceable or playable in years 3-5.
Yes there’s five or eight guys who can make the jump and are Stars or starters. But the 100 that declare, I feel for them. Pipe dreams. I think it favors the player to make them go to school and enjoy the college experience for a year at least, be a kid for a year at least, then we’ll see how they made that jump and can better gauge if that player can make the next jump to the NBA.
I know I’m in the minority but I just think it helps the kid too make him go to college for a year. Helps his psyche. If he’s good enough for the NBA he’ll get there whether it’s out of high school or after 1 year of college. But if he thinks he’s good enough for the NBA and loses all his college eligibility and doesn’t make it, he’s done, except for maybe Europe or some other league around the world..
I don’t know, I think it’s just a good Rule and it helps out the player. Not necessarily the star player but the player who thinks he’s a star and maybe isn’t?
You overestimate that 1 year and what it does. Either make it like the nfl and 3 years at school or somewhere else, and then the nba, or get rid of it and have kids immediately eligible for the draft.
You could just tinker the rule that says if you aren’t drafted you can still go to college and if so then you owe 3 years.
One year does very little for these kids. That’s my opinion on it.
I think that sounds dumb. For one, it helps out the NBA by not having crappy product out there on a night-to-night basis. Imagine if guys like Mikey Williams and Emoni Bates were able to come out as soon as they left HS. It would be so stupid
You have those type of players anyway with the 1 year crap. 18 vs 19 didn’t change much. Either lengthen the time if that’s your issue or get rid of it altogether.
No reason for stopping the young kids getting into the league, I would allow them as young as 16… 19 is not only ridiculous but a random number someone must had come out with no thought about it at all!
Should be 2 years. The biggest myth that has ever worked itself into belief is that high schoolers succeed in the nba. From 1995-2006, 168 high schoolers declared, only 69 were drafted, 19 etched out 10 years, and only 11 made an all star game. People only think it was a success because of a few.