The NBA’s “one-and-done” rule, which doesn’t allow players to declare for the NBA straight out of high school, has been in existence since 2005. Now, it looks to be on the way out. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the NBA and National Basketball Players Association have held “formal meetings” about changing the rule:
Current NBA commissioner Adam Silver and several of his top advisers have been engaged in listening tours and information-gathering missions with an array of stakeholders for months. That has included formal meetings with the National Basketball Players Association about adjusting the so-called “one-and-done” age-limit rule.
The plan is about more than just taking out the one-and-done rule, however. The NBA is looking to get involved at the high-school level, per Windhorst:
A plan is expected to include the NBA starting relationships with elite teenagers while they are in high school, providing skills to help them develop both on and off the court. It would ultimately open an alternate path to the NBA besides playing in college and a way 18-year-olds could earn a meaningful salary either from NBA teams or as part of an enhanced option in the developmental G League, sources said.
One high-ranking league official told ESPN that the NBA is “looking at changing the relationship we have with players before they reach the NBA.” That official added: “This is a complex challenge, and there’s still a lot of discussion about how it’s going to happen, but we all see the need to step in.”
Many have spoken out about the unfairness of the NBA’s controversial one-and-done rule, particularly in recent weeks and months. This includes Detroit Pistons head coach and President of Basketball Operations Stan Van Gundy, who last Sunday called the rule racist.
Many argue that if NCAA athletes aren’t compensated, or even allowed to profit off of their likeness being used, they should be able to forgo college altogether and make money right away.
