It’s been nearly two decades since high school players were allowed to make the jump straight to the NBA.
Well, that could be poised to change in the not-so-distant future.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the NBA and NBPA are considering lowering the minimum age requirement from 19 to 18 as part of the league’s new collective bargaining agreement and beginning as early as 2024.
The NBA announced its decision to raise the age limit from 18 to 19 in 2005, requiring all draft-eligible players to have at least one year of college experience. This despite talented prospects such as LeBron James, Tracy McGrady, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, and Dwight Howard having successfully transitioned from high school to the pros.
Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the minimum age requirement this past summer, saying, “I think there’s an opportunity [to change it]. It’s [based on] larger conversations than just whether we go from 19 to 18, but I’m on record: When I balance all of these various considerations, I think that would be the right thing to do, and I am hopeful that that’s a change we make in this next collective bargaining cycle, which will happen in the next couple years.”
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