In recent months, there has been all kinds of momentum with regard to the NBA potentially lowering its draft age requirement and, by proxy, allowing players to jump directly to the league out of high school. On Tuesday evening, commissioner Adam Silver contributed to the buzz during an NBA Board of Governors press conference in Las Vegas.
Silver proclaimed that his “personal view” is that the league is “ready to make that change.”
Adam Silver on the possible change to NBA players entering the league at 18: “My personal view is that we’re ready to make that change.”
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) July 11, 2018
Adam Silver on re-setting the NBA’s age limit back to 18 years old: “My personal view is that we’re ready to make that change.”
Translation: this is going to happen.— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) July 11, 2018
Of course, this is an issue that is collectively bargained and Silver does not have the singular power to make any sort of shift in the rule as a result. Still, it could speak volumes that the commissioner is willing to utter this statement with confidence in front of a wide audience and it doesn’t appear likely that he would do so without any basis.
In June, ESPN’s Zach Lowe brought a league-wide memo to light outlining a change could take place in 2021 (but not before) and this could be a precursor to that type of movement. It remains to be seen as to what kind of restrictions (or lack thereof) may be negotiated but it would be quite significant for the league’s 30 teams when evaluating high school talent in conjunction with the college and international game.
At this point, all signs point to the “one-and-done” era coming to an end in the near future and, if nothing else, these comments from Adam Silver lean in that direction.
