Anti Age Limit

The NBA offseason offers us a period of time to think about issues that often get pushed aside during the hustle and bustle that is the regular season. With constant action taking place from October to June, there is little time to consider or discuss the larger League issues. With the Finals over and free agent frenzy in full swing, I thought I’d take the opportunity to discuss an issue that has caused much controversy and consternation; the League-mandated age-limit. Several years ago the League shut the flood gates on the constant flow of high school-to-NBA prospects by mandating a one year removed from high school requirement. This of course allowed players to experience college, become more mature, and make a well-informed decision. There was solid evidence for the decision, along with numerous examples of protégés who were outstanding high school ballers, but never quite panned out in the NBA (Kwame Brown, Sebastain Telfair, Darius Miles,etc.). Many felt that this lack of professional success was directly related to the individuals’ decision to forgo college and head straight into the L. Such players were called every name in the book, from stupid to selfish, and were ridiculed for not taking the extra time to become more mature as both a player and a person. Thus, the League mandated the age requirement to limit such occurrences, and it has thus far received mixed reviews.

I personally have been against the age limit since its inception for three major reasons, which I explain below:

1. It should be the player’s choice: If a player is talented enough to consider making the leap directly from high school to the NBA, and a team is interested enough to select them, who is the League to try to stop them. There is no age requirement to do construction work. You don’t have to be a year separated from high school to work at a restaurant, so why should you have to be to play basketball? Players who make this decision know that they are taking a calculated risk, and that success at the next level is very difficult to come across. However, after considering all the possibilities, if a player feels that it is the best decision for him and his family (let’s be honest, suddenly having the money to supply for your family and buy yourself a couple cars can be very tempting), then the League shouldn’t be standing there to tell them no.

2. Many players have had great success: Proponents of the age limit are quick to point out all the busts or players who went straight from high school and never lived up to their potential, but they rarely emphasize the other side of the argument; the side where some of the NBA’s best players decided to skip the extended party known as college and head directly into the League. For every Kwame and Darius there’s a Dwight, Tracy, Kobe, Lebron, and Kevin, which demonstrates the fact that many are indeed able to make the jump successfully, and develop into the game’s greatest. Therefore, the level of success one achieves while making the jump from high school into the NBA depends largely on the individual and the situation, and a blanket statement should not be made regarding such individuals either way. Many of the League’s brightest stars came straight out of high school, and there should be no barriers blocking others from having the same possibility.

3. Negative effect on college basketball: Many college basketball fans and purists feel that the newly imposed age limit has disastrous effects on what was once a very pure form of basketball. Players would play for the love of the game and the representation of their school, rather than for money or personal success. However, in this world of agents, and one-and-doners, the same type of commitment to school and team isn’t there. College basketball has developed into a sport where teams have a one year window to win a championship with a superstar before they quickly bolt for the promised land that is the NBA, leaving their team in the dust to consider their options for the future. In other words, players see college basketball as mandatory step on the way to their ultimate goal, and therefore use it as a stage to elevate their own personal status and draft stock, rarely considering the impact their actions and decisions have on their team and the game as a whole. I do not blame the players for this dilemma, as they are simply working within the boundaries created by the NBA’s age limit framework. Without this age requirement, players could make their own decision; the one which they feel would actually be best for them, thus meaning the players suiting up for colleges across the country actually wanted to be there, because as it stands now the age limit isn’t just hurting the NBA, it’s hurting the NCAA as well.

For these reasons, I feel that the NBA should again allow players to enter the draft directly out of high school. It added an element of uncertainty and surprise that is missed in the League today, and allows players to make decisions that are in their best interest.