Report: NBA Submits Proposal to Players Association to Lower Draft Age From 19 to 18
The NBA has submitted a proposal to the National Basketball Players Association to lower the age of eligibility for players to enter the draft from 19 to 18, according to USA Today.
The league and union have had informal discussions on the matter in the past, but the NBPA and executive director Michele Roberts planned to review the proposal at a meeting on Monday, reports USA Today.
The NBA and NBPA would both have to agree to lower the draft-eligibility age, and the reported proposal is the first step to the two sides negotiating the change by the 2022 draft. Setting the date to 2022 would give teams time to adjust to the possible change. Adjusting the rule would allow players to enter the NBA straight out of high school and make money right away.
Under the one-and-done rule, which the league implemented in 2005, players must be one year removed from their high school class graduation or be 19 years old to enter the draft.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said at the NBA owners meeting in July that he thought the league should consider lowering the age to 18.
Last March it was reported that Silver was looking to expand the league's relationship with elite high school players by providing them with instruction in skills camps and having more interaction with them in the summer. Silver also reportedly met last year with the NBPA to discuss lowering the draft age.
The debate over the one-and-done rule has been a heavy topic of conversation over the last day after Duke's standout freshman Zion Williamson suffered a knee sprain. During Wednesday night's game against UNC, Williamson slipped just 30 seconds into the game and his sneaker freakishly exploded. He quickly grabbed his leg and later left the game to not return.
Many have weighed in since the game saying Williamson, a projected No. 1 pick, should not play for the rest of the season after he recovers to remain healthy ahead of the draft.
