Analysis: How NBA rule played a role in college basketball's 'one and done' problem
In 2005, the NBA created a rule that prevented 18-year-old high school seniors from jumping directly to pro basketball. Intended to allow young athletes time to mature before entering the NBA, the rule brought about “one-and-done” college players and could be one of the root causes of a burgeoning college basketball scandal.
The rule, part of the NBA collective bargaining agreement, led directly to the influx of freshmen who play one year of college basketball before entering the NBA draft. It also increased the temptation for some high school stars and their families - who fear they’re missing out on millions of dollars - to accept money from agents or apparel companies.
In September, the FBI and other federal authorities announced a sweeping investigation into bribery and corruption in college basketball. According to the FBI indictments, families of college basketball recruits were paid $100,000 and more.
At the core of the FBI investigation was money from athletic apparel giant adidas allegedly being used to pay the families of basketball recruits in exchange for attending colleges with adidas deals, to pay college coaches to steer those players toward certain agents and financial advisers linked to the apparel company.
A spokesman for N.C. State, which has an apparel contract with adidas, said earlier this month that the university had received a subpoena in January requesting documents related to the case. The News & Observer reported on Friday that the subpoena requested documents related to the recruitment of point guard Dennis Smith Jr., who played for the Wolfpack as a freshman last year before being drafted by the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks.
Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, who built his Duke program around one-and-done players in recent years, has nonetheless said he’d be in favor of letting high school players jump straight to the pros.
The nation’s best high school basketball players don’t like it.
All of which begs the question: Why should someone have to be 19 years old or one year out of high school to be able to play in the NBA?
The NBA reconsiders
According to a report by Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com, NBA commissioner Adam Silver is considering a change that would end the rule. The report said the NBA could give elite high school players alternate paths to the NBA, whether in select basketball academies or through its developmental G League.
No longer would colleges be used as a one-year “pit stop,” as NCAA president Mark Emmert has referred to it.
Silver last fall met with NBAPA executive director Michele Roberts and the newly formed Commission on College Basketball to discuss several issues, including “one-and-done” problems. The commission, which is chaired by former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, was created after the FBI announced its investigation in September.
In a press conference before the 2017 NBA Finals, Silver said the eligibility rule was “not working for anyone.”
“We think we have a better draft when we’ve had an opportunity to see these young players play at an elite level before they come into the NBA,” Silver said. “On the other hand, I think the question for the league is in terms of their ultimate success, are we better off intersecting with them a little bit younger?”
Ten of the first 11 picks in the 2017 NBA draft were college freshmen, including Smith, taken ninth by the Dallas Mavericks. In the past 10 drafts, 55 one-and-done players have been taken in the NBA draft lottery, which represents the top 14 picks in each year’s draft.
“I think they should change the rule,” N.C. State coach Kevin Keatts said recently. “If you’re good enough to go play, nobody should tell you (you) shouldn’t be able to.”
Mixed results
A little history: The first high school player to enter pro basketball was center Moses Malone, who signed with the ABA in 1974 and went into the NBA when the leagues merged. Two other high schoolers followed: Darryl Dawkins and Bill Willoughby, both in 1975.
In 1995, the arrival and instant success of Kevin Garnett out of high school made immediate entry into the NBA more the norm. Kobe Bryant came, then Jermaine O’Neal, both first-round draft picks.
NBA scouts began to pack more high school gyms and more first-round picks were used on high schoolers. Some were great picks - LeBron James in 2003 an obvious example. Some were not - Kwame Brown, a 6-foot-11 center who was the first overall pick in 2001 by the Washington Wizards.
Brown fizzled, as did other high school kids not yet mature enough or their games polished enough to play in the NBA. David Stern, then the NBA commissioner, proposed a minimum age of 20 for entry into the league, but the NBA and NBA Players Association settled on 19 as the minimum age and “one year removed from high school” as the criteria.
UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy: