NBA's new labor plan is expected to reduce draft age eligibility to 18 in two years

2022-09-20 14:23

NBA's new labor plan is expected to reduce draft age eligibility to 18 in two years


According to a report by well-known NBA reporter Sham Charania, the NBA is negotiating with the National Basketball Association Players Association (NBPA) about new terms of the collective bargaining agreement and drafting a proposal. It is the plan to lower the draft age eligibility from 19 to 18 to create a direct draft for high school students.


The NBA's rule, which was implemented in 2005, mandates that players must participate in college basketball for at least one year in college, and 18-year-old high school students are not eligible to directly participate in the NBA draft. This has allowed many players to successfully enter the NBA draft after just one season in NCAA college basketball.


It is reported that legends Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are all stars who jumped directly into the NBA draft from high school. But after the 2005 rule that forced players to participate in college basketball and capped the draft age at 19, all high school players interested in entering the NBA had to spend at least one to two years before being drafted.


And NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in July after this year's league draft that he planned to lower the new draft age eligibility to 18, and hoped that high school players could be directly eligible for the draft in the 2024 NBA draft. Silver also added that the move to lower the eligibility for the draft is not limited to high school students, and that international players entering the draft will also be included.


Charania also expects the NBA to hold interviews with the NBPA and the CBA later this month to collectively negotiate draft age eligibility for the new agreement.


In addition, the NBA and NBPA also mentioned the inclusion of players' mental health issues in injury reports at the same level as physical injuries when discussing new clauses in the collective bargaining agreement. In the era of new media with the explosion of information, the mental health of players needs to be paid more attention. It is believed that this measure will promote the development of American sports like never before.


The other is to emphasize the courtesy and civilization among players, fans, staff, and organizations. In addition, it is proposed to increase luxury tax penalties and deal with labor and capital issues related to luxury tax in a harsh and up-to-date manner.