One of commissioner’s Adam Silver reported priorities is to change the one-and-done rule, which allows players to enter the NBA after one year of college. Silver would like a two-year minimum, at least, but he may not be getting his wish without a fight. According to new NBA Player’s Association head Michele Roberts, it’s not going to happen.
The NBA age limit won’t change without a fight from NBAPA head Michele Roberts
The head of the players’ association said changing eligibility rules is not something the union will even discuss.
Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports
Michele Roberts on stance on college players coming into the league: "Be happy with one & done, it's not going to be two & done."
— Ethan J. Skolnick (@EthanJSkolnick) February 13, 2015 The question of NBA eligibility is always controversial. Colleges and the league want to restrict it further, claiming the one-and-done rule hurts the quality of the college competition and increases the risk of the draft. Whether those concerns are valid or not, one thing is for sure: It hurts players. Some high schoolers would have been drafted in the first round had the one-and-done rule not been in place in the past few seasons, just like Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady were before it was instituted.
Roberts knows this controversy won’t go away. The owners have dug in their heels deep there. Allowing them to extend it would signal weakness, which the new head of the NBPA can’t afford to show. This is just one of several instances in which Roberts has been forthright and forceful regarding a controversial issue.
It’s also part of a recent trend of moves that clearly differentiate her leadership from that of predecessor Billy Hunter.
The NBPA is tilting towards being more superstar-friendly after years of taking care of the majority of its constituency sometimes to great cost to the top players. Chris Paul and LeBron James have recently become president and vice president of the union, replacing Derek Fisher and Roger Mason Jr., and the association has rejected a proposal to smooth out the salary cap jump that the new TV deal the league signed will bring upon in 2017. The eligibility issue is also closest to stars' hearts than role players'. Restricting access to the league prevents young players from entering the pool early, keeping jobs open for veterans, and the players who would benefit the most from being able to make the jump early are the elite talents that are no-brainers as first-round picks.
Roberts making a stand on this issue early should only strengthen the NBPA's bargaining power if the two sides opt out on the current bargaining agreement in 2017. After giving back part of the basketball-related income as well as settling for shorter contracts, the players are expected to want to renegotiate some conditions in lieu of the record prices the franchises are selling for and the new TV deal. It could also help stop in its tracks a controversial proposal by NCAA commissioners to make freshmen ineligible to play college basketball by making it clear that the two-and-done option is off the table.
Roberts has made the position of the association she represents clear but don’t expect this debate to end any time soon.
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