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Rogerian Argument

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High School to NBA: Good or Bad?
Mel Plantenga
College Composition P.4/5
March 6, 2013

Some of the greatest stars in the NBA were drafted straight out of high school. Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, and Dwight Howard are just a few examples. Even though, as of 2006, the NBA eligibility rule states that a player entering the NBA draft must be at least nineteen years old and a year removed from high school, it is still a huge debate in the sports world of whether or not this rule is the right choice. Before the rule was set in place, NBA commissioner David Stern said, “We have the right to set an age limit in the collective bargaining agreement. I believe we can work together to come up with something that is legally correct and will …show more content…

If the rule were to be changed to require two years of college, the players would be much more experienced and would create a stronger group of rookies each year for the NBA. Imagine a young man, straight out of high school, with dreams of playing in the NBA. What if he was one of the four players who, between 1975 and 2001, declared for the draft straight out of high school never made it to the NBA (Should high school players be eligible). What are his options after that? Sure, he could always go to college, but what if he never applied to one? Another option is to play in a European league, but how is an eighteen or nineteen year old expected to live on his own in a whole new country? This is just one downfall to being able to enter the draft straight out of high school. While many are successful, the young men who are not may be forced to give up their dream and must make serious life decisions to move forward. For this reason alone, the rule should stay the same to allow players to mature before they are able to enter the draft. The year of college basketball played is monumental in the maturation of young players directly out of high school. High school basketball is clearly a much different game than what is played in the NBA; the pace is slower and the plays are far less complex. With this said, only few players are able to adapt to the fast pace of the NBA straight out of high school. For the majority of the players unable to do so, their

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