NBA commissioner Adam Silver is optimistic about the elimination of the NBA’s the one-and-done rule.
At his press conference Tuesday after the latest NBA owners’ meetings, Silver said there is growing support to dissolve the one-and-done rule that allows players to enter the NBA after one season of collegiate or international basketball.
“My personal view is that we’re ready to make that change,” Silver said, according to USA Today. “It won’t come immediately, but…when I weighed the pros and cons, given that (former Secretary of State) Condoleezza Rice and her (NCAA) commission has recommended to the NBA that those one-and-done players now come directly into the league and, in essence, the college community is saying ‘We do not want those players anymore.’
“I mean that sort of tips the scale in my mind that we should be taking a serious look at lowering our age to 18.”
While Silver was optimistic about the rule being eliminated in future, it is not expected to be lifted next season.
In June, USA Today reported Silver sent a memo to all 30 teams describing the league’s intentions with the one-and-done rule and that it wasn’t likely to change before the 2021 draft.
Silver said Tuesday the next steps in engaging with high school players talented enough to enter the league at 18 would be meeting with the National Basketball Players Association.
“We’ve had several discussions with both the NCAA and USA Basketball about engaging with (high school players), with players, beginning roughly at 14 years old, and especially with those elite players (who) we know statistically have a high likelihood, when they’re identified at that age, of being top tier players, of coming into the league,” Silver said at his press conference.
