The NBA’s one-and-done rule has been controversial and a topic of discussion every since it was implemented after the NBA’s 2005 collective bargaining agreement.
The rule says that all drafted players must be at least 19 years old during the calendar year of the draft, and one year removed from high school.
Kobe Bryant, one player who did not attend college, is not a fan of the rule. “It didn’t make any sense,” Bryant said via the Los Angeles Times.
“Some players go to college for four years and don’t learn anything about the game whatsoever and get a degree in geography,” Bryant said. “What does that do? I think it’s all depending on the kid and how well we teach the kid, whether he goes to college or comes straight to the pros.”
The discussion often heats up during this time of year, as we see college freshmen grabbing national attention in the NCAA Tournament. Whether or not they are actually ready for professional basketball, the idea that they wouldn’t be able to make the decision to go pro even if they wanted to is an unfair stipulation.
Legendary Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski agrees with Bryant, mentioning that players “have a dog’s life.”
“They’re not doctors, lawyers and coaches, writers who can write forever and coach forever,” the Duke coach said. “They do it in about a 12-to-15-year span.”
It has also forced Coach K to adapt. Duke is typically known for having junior and senior-laden teams, although they have become much more open to one-and-done players, who led them to a title just a season ago.
“To build a team is more difficult,” Krzyzewski said.
Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times adds that Coach K feels that while players should be able to go pro out of high school as they please, if they choose to go to college, they should have to stay for two years.
The one-and-done rule solely benefits the NBA, and commissioner Adam Silver does not deny that notion. Although acknowledging a player’s right to earn a living he said, “I’m making a business decision for the NBA.”
The one-and-done rule seems destined to be changed, whether that means eliminating the rule entirely, or changing it to something similar to that of what Coach K suggested. But many will agree, it’s broken the way it’s currently set up.
[LA Times]
