This past weekend, the NBA announced it is considering going back on a plan it has had in play for years: the so-called “one-and-done” age-limit rule. Right now, NBA players have to be at least 19 years old or one year removed from their high school graduations in order to be drafted.
But NBA Commissioner Adam Silver wants to slash that rule and start talking to elite players in high school. He is apparently sick of the scandals in college basketball, where top programs are accused of paying players and families illicitly, sometimes tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, gifts, and merchandise. Silver says if the point was to get high school students to go to college for a little while, why encourage that if there’s scandal after scandal?
As the NBA considers whether to let high school players in the league directly, questions arise about the NCAA. Is it time that the NCAA pays athletes? And if yes, how would it work? Our guests weigh in:
- Jeff DiVeronica, sports writer for the Democrat & Chronicle
- Carl Falk, sports talk radio host at Fox Sports 1280
- Mike Waters, college basketball writer at syracuse.com and the Post-Standard
- Andre Fontenette, 2004 Syracuse University graduate and former SU wide receiver
