Age requirement for NBA Draftees expected to stay at 19 in the new CBA – NBA Report
Although the NBA owners and representatives of the players have tentatively agreed on the broad points to form a new 10-year Collective Bargaining Agreement, however there are some elements left which needs to be resolved as well
before NBA plans to resume business.
Among the few lined up issues, one important element is to decide the age requirement for the eligibility of appearing in the NBA draft. Currently, the player has to be 19 years old in the United States, one year after high school,
to make a shift into the professional league.
While, the National basketball Association has been trying to take the age requirement to 20-years, the sources have suggested that the limit is expected to remain the same at least for the next two years.
The league has been eyeing to increase the age limit considering that the players opt to make a jump in NBA whenever the opportunity arises and they do not concentrate on completing their college studies. The league believes that
increasing the age requirement for NBA Draft eligibility will give more time to the college player to pay attention towards their educational career.
Several options have been discussed between owners and representatives of the players to address the issue. One alternative was to allow player to enter the draft after high school with an option to withdraw his contract to join
college. This draft rule is also used in Major League Baseball (MLB).
Another alternative which was discussed was to offer financial benefit to the rookies which will encourage them to stay in college. The potential financial benefits would be giving incentives and offering a salary range with respect
to the time spent in college.
However no alternatives have been approved so far which indicates that both the parties will settle with the 19-year age limit for now. The NBA Commissioner David Stern has slated 9th December as the date to start the
training camps and free agency and, owners and players don’t have enough time to weigh other option for the age requirement at the moment.
While many believes that the age limit is a significant feature of the NBA draft whether it be 19 or 20, some former and active players have a differentiated opinion in this regard. They consider that there should be no age restriction
because if a player has the talent and strength to perform in the professional league, he should be given a chance to prove his abilities.
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