Steve Kerr: The Case for the 20-Year-Old Age Limit in the NBA

Here's a crazy idea: If a player is physically ready to play in the NBA, then let him play. Stop w/ the age restriction bullshite... if there's a 17 y/o HS'er who can fill a roster spot, let him go like they do in international soccer.


Am I the only one who thinks that the NBA telling an 18 y/o who can hoop that he has to wait a year is downright unamerican?

I like how they have it in baseball. You can declare out of high school, forgoing your college eligibility, but if you go go to college you have to stay 3 years or until your 21.

I think it would be beneficial to college basketball and the NBA.

Here's another idea:

Build a better developmental league(s) and have the NBA use those as farm teams. Some could be directly affiliated with specific NBA teams, while others could be independent. Allow kids to be drafted after leaving high school, but if they choose college, they have to stay in school for a minimum of 3 years or until they turn 21, similar to baseball.

Another, more radical idea, is for each team to fund an academy, located in their region. These would be places where kids can concentrate on basketball more than they do in high school, while still receiving regular class room work from tutors and other instructors. The teams play an abbreviated schedule against other academies, AAU squads, semi pro teams, and the aforementioned developmental squads, and players who are with the NBA squad who have NOT finished their education can still utilize it as a resource. Included in the education should be life skills, etc.

Honestly, I would LOVE to see American professional sports evolve towards the academy model.

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Here's a crazy idea: If a player is physically ready to play in the NBA, then let him play. Stop w/ the age restriction bullshite... if there's a 17 y/o HS'er who can fill a roster spot, let him go like they do in international soccer.

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Exactly

if you're going to use that argument, you're going to have to argue at abolishing league drafts, unions, etc since all of those things are anti capitalism too

I like the academy model too. Very strange concept of student/athlete needs to go away for athletes with pro potential. For those people, they need job training, not chemistry class.

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if you're going to use that argument, you're going to have to argue at abolishing league drafts, unions, etc since all of those things are anti capitalism too

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Its not about capitalism its about logic, arbitrary age restrictions are illogical.

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I like the academy model too. Very strange concept of student/athlete needs to go away for athletes with pro potential. For those people, they need job training, not chemistry class.

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Agreed, but the problem is that college athletics are tax exempt, pro team academies are not.

Then you'll see crazy parents holding their kid back in school "so they can leave early."

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I like how they have it in baseball. You can declare out of high school, forgoing your college eligibility, but if you go go to college you have to stay 3 years or until your 21.

I think it would be beneficial to college basketball and the NBA.

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How would that be beneficial to college basketball? There would be more kids out of high school going pro than there was before they put the age limit in. Why go to college three years when you can play in the NBA and get paid?

I know the sports are different due to the physicality, but how do you think football players feel? These kids don't even have a choice, they HAVE to go to college for three years or be out of a normal high school for three.

That option for baseball works because they have about 50 rounds and have a well-developed minor league system. Even now though, they are trying to get more kids to go to college with the draft slotting and not allowing teams to largely overpay for high schoolers they take in the later rounds (like 4th rounders getting 1st-2nd round money)

NBA High School Draftees

Outside of a select few(James and Howard), almost all of those from about 1999 on down would have benefited from at least a year in college. That list also doesn't include the high schoolers that went pro and weren't drafted, thus screwing up their future. You try telling these 17-18 year old kids in high school that are averaging 30 PPG, 10+ RPG, etc. that they aren't good enough to compete in the NBA