As of now, college basketball players are required to spend at least one year playing in college and then they are free to earn millions of dollars in the National Basketball Association (NBA). These players are known as “One and Dones.” The rule was set in place to prevent high school basketball prodigies from entering the NBA the day after graduation.
Adam Silver, the new NBA commissioner, is heavily looking to require college basketball players to stay in college for at least two years before entering the NBA. Some question whether this will negatively affect players that are already primed to become professional.
Silver argues this extra year will allow NBA teams to better scout and examine college players as it lets players develop without having to pay them an NBA salary. This makes sense from the perspective of NBA team owners and executives who do not want to waste their lottery draft picks on busts who don’t live up to their expectations. The NBA and Silver want to do this for the sole purpose that they can make a better investment off of players.
All past evidence of one and done players proved they perform at the same, if not higher, caliber than players who leave after their second year. On an ESPN Insider list of top 10 players, only Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook left for the NBA Draft after their sophomore years. One and dones on the list included current favorite for MVP, Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony, who is being highly sought after this coming free agency. Not to mention the inclusion of LeBron James, Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant, who all went straight from high school to the NBA. The extra year in college for the player yields little to no benefits and seems just to serve the NBA.
This may not seem like a big deal for a college basketball player to stay an extra year at college, especially since they are practically guaranteed millions afterwards, but it is basically a wasted year of their lives. To put this in perspective, imagine going to a job interview at Subway. You’re overqualified if anything and they agree for you to work there but under the stipulation that you have to make sandwiches as an unpaid intern for the next six months and then after that you can get an actual salary. It’s not exactly a bad thing and it’s nothing worth crying about, but that’s six months that would be wasted training for a job that you could already do for no pay. There are no benefits for the player and they would be denied the right to earn a living just so multi-millionaires can avoid losing a few dollars.
NBA coach Doc Rivers brought up the same sentiment in an interview with Orange County Register when he stated: “I can go fight in Iraq at 18, but I can’t play in the NBA? That’s silly to me.” Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul also commented in the same interview saying, “I knew I wasn’t ready after my freshman year, but that’s not everybody’s situation. I think you should have the option or opportunity to decide if you think you’re ready. If you feel like you’re ready, it shouldn’t be someone else’s decision.”
The idea of raising the minimum age for college basketball players has left many scratching their heads. If a player feels like they are ready for the NBA, then they should be able to declare. The NBA’s denial of this declaration is the same as a company denying an employee to apply for a higher position. It’s not a big deal in terms of actual revenue, but it is a light slap to the face to young talented phenoms looking to make money and earn a living for themselves and their families.
Marcus Mitchell can be reached at marcus.mitchell@spartans.ut.edu.