The day after Duke University star and projected No. 1 NBA draft pick Zion Williamson was injured during a primetime college basketball game on national TV, the league submitted a proposal to its players association that would lower the age of eligibility for the pro draft from 19 to 18, according to USA Today.
While the league and union have discussed making the change in the past, it seemed far more than coincidental that the announcement came so soon after the highest-profile college player in years got hurt during one of the highest-profile college basketball game of the year.
Had this new rule already been in place, the 18-year-old Williamson could have totally skipped playing at the college level, where he risks getting seriously injured without being compensated.
In the past, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has gone on the record saying the current age limit is not working for the league or college basketball.
Since the issue is collectively bargained between the NBA and NBPA, however, both sides need to agree to any rule change before it can go into effect. That has not happened yet. But the league’s proposal is the first step in formal negotiations that would lower the age limit by the 2022 draft.
The league chose 2022 as the target draft date to give teams time to strategize drafting players right out of high school and hire scouts to find pro-caliber athletes as young as 18.
“With the league officially proposing it, there’s simply too much momentum for the change to be made, with examples like Williamson’s injury on strengthening the case,” according to Yahoo Sports. “The NBA can’t eliminate injuries. But it can eliminate the need for NBA-ready players to suffer them while they’re not under contract.”
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