The end of the NBA’s age limit is in sight. The league took the first step toward providing the necessary infrastructure to evaluate and educate high school players for the pros on Wednesday when it announced a partnership with the NCAA, the NBA Players Association, and USA Basketball that will bring the four parties together to provide basketball training and programs on life skills, health, and wellness.
The end of the one-and-done rule is around the corner after this NBA-USA Basketball partnership
Why the NBA age limit is closer than ever to ending after this USA Basketball partnership.
Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
The age limit likely won’t be abolished until 2021 or 2022, but this partnership gives NBA teams the chance to get an up-close look at the brightest young players coming through the pipeline.
Here are the practical effects of this announcement:
USA Basketball is expanding its training camps
USA Basketball has been bringing in the top high school players in the country for decades to try out for the the program’s under-16, under-17, under-18, and under-19 competitions. Now those programs are getting bigger, starting with the annual October minicamp in Colorado Springs. USA Basketball plans on bringing 80 athletes total — approximately 20 from each high school class — to the October minicamp, which is the first time each grade level will be in attendance.
Previously the event hosted a selected group of seniors competing for invitations to April’s Nike Hoop Summit, as well as younger players based on which age group had its FIBA competition up next on the calendar.
USA Basketball’s 2018-19 schedule for training camps and competitions looks like this:
USA Basketball training camp schedule
Event | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Junior National Team Minicamp | October 2018 | Colorado Springs, CO |
| Junior National Team Minicamp | April 2019 | Minneapolis, MN |
| Nike Hoop Summit | April 2019 | Portland, OR |
| USA Basketball Training Camp | June 2019 | Colorado Springs, CO |
| FIBA Americas U16 Championship | June/July 2019 | TBD |
| FIBA U19 World Cup | July 2019 | TBD |
| Junior National Team Minicamp | July 2019 | Colorado Springs, CO |
Does this mean NBA scouts will be in the gym for each event?
Not yet. SB Nation confirmed with USA Basketball that even as the NBA, NBPA, and NCAA help run the training camps, pro scouts still won’t be allowed to evaluate players in the October minicamp.
Pro scouts are already allowed to watch players during the Nike Hoop Summit practices and during the annual summer minicamp.
USA Basketball did state that, like any new initiative, all of this is subject to change as the partnership goes on.
What type of education will the players be receiving?
The partnership promises “expanded basketball training” at each camp through the collaboration between the four parties. Players will also be a part of a “health and wellness program” led by former Dream Team trainer Ed Lacerte.
Here’s how USA Basketball put it:
Life-skills education and off-court development also will be major focus areas for the expanded program, with player education sessions on a variety of topics, including positive decision making, healthy relationships, cultural understanding and diversity, leadership and character development, collegiate eligibility and recruiting.
The expansion will also introduce a first-of-its-kind parent education program to provide families with resources and information designed to help them support their athlete’s development on and off the court. The program’s off-court programming will include year-round opportunities for players and parents through online life skills modules developed by Game Plan, an eLearning platform utilized by the NBA G League and numerous Division I colleges and universities.
Does USA Basketball successfully prepare high school players for the next level?
Yes. Since 2009, the USA men have compiled a remarkable 125-3 overall record and won gold in 18 of the 20 competitions.
The alumni list is basically a who’s-who of players who have been selected at the top of the NBA draft over the last decade. Jayson Tatum, Mohamed Bamba, Markelle Fultz, Jaylen Brown, Wendell Carter Jr., Josh Jackson, Michael Porter Jr., and Trae Young are just a few of the players to compete in FIBA competitions for USA Basketball in recent years.
What does this mean for the end of the age limit?
It’s no coincidence that the NBA is targeting 2021 or 2022 as the first year high school players are allowed to enter the draft again. The 2021 class is currently be entering its sophomore year of high school. The 2022 class is filled with incoming freshmen. The announcement of this partnership allows the NBA to educate and gather information on the top players in those classes throughout their high school careers.
You can already find class rankings on ESPN for the 2021 class. There are rankings out there for the 2022 class if you look hard enough.
This agreement marks the first time USA Basketball, the NCAA, the NBA, and the NBPA are all working together. Even if this isn’t a groundbreaking announcement that will officially usher in the prep-to-pros era once again, it’s a necessary first step in getting there eventually.
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