The one-and-done rule for college basketball players has been a topic of discussion over the last two Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations in the NBA. So far, the National Basketball Players Association and NBA owners are 0-for-2 when it comes to changing that rule. Silver, in recent interviews, has shared his view point on the one-and-done rule. But making changes to it would require a lot of maneuvering between NBA owners, the NBPA and NCAA basketball.
Silver and NBPA executive director Michele Roberts recently had a meeting described as informal in nature with the new Commission on College Basketball in Washington on Thursday, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com. Changes to the one-and-done rule were a primary topic of discussion at that meeting, but there are many issues yet to be worked out.
Silver and Roberts delivered the league and union perspectives on issues facing the basketball industry, including ways that changing the dynamics of the NBA draft could impact the pro and college games. The meeting was described as informational in nature, although the NCAA ultimately has no formal say in rules governing the league’s early-entry rules.
The commission, chaired by Condoleezza Rice, was formed in the wake of the FBI investigation into college basketball.
Draft eligibility rules must be collectively bargained between the NBA and the players’ association, and that conversation has been ongoing between the league and union, sources tell ESPN.
Nevertheless, there’s a growing belief within the league that Silver’s desire to end the one-and-done — the ability of college basketball players to enter the NBA draft after playing one year in college — could be pushing the sport closer to high school players having the opportunity to directly enter the league again. For that change to happen, though, the union would probably need to cede the one-and-done rule and agree to a mandate that players entering college must stay two years before declaring for the draft.
Wojnarowski also reports that the NBPA have long wanted to players to enter the NBA Draft out of high school, but that stance was ceded in the 2006 CBA talks. As for the Commission on College Basketball, it consists of USA Basketball chairman Martin Dempsey, ex-NBA/college stars David Robinson and Grant Hill and former White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler.
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