NBA officially made a proposal requesting for the draft age to be lowered from 19 to 18.
On February 21, a report from a reliable source surfaced that the National Basketball Association finally made a formal proposal suggesting that the draft age for the basketball association be lowered to 18 instead of the present 19-year-old draft eligible age. The source refused to be introduced not being an authorized person to disclose such a confidential matter publicly.
The letter was submitted to the National Basketball Players Association. Michelle Roberts, the NBPA executive director received the proposal and plans to present the proposal to the post-All-Star weekend meeting to be held in the Bahamas for review.
Once approved, the proposal of lowering the draft age to 18 should take effect in 2022. The National Basketball Association aims to give the teams an ample time to prepare so they suggested for a three-year preparation before the draft age finally lowers from 19.
The approval of the NBA's proposal of lowering the draft age to 18 will eliminate the "one and done" rule. The rule which was implemented in 2006, mandates every player to be at least 19 years of age before being eligible for the NBA draft. The rule also states that a player should allow one year after his graduation before qualifying for a draft.
An independent body commissioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association recommended in April 2018 for the "one and done" rule to be eliminated and lowering the draft age to 18 instead. However, the NCAA did not have the power to request for the said rule to be eliminated and instead assured that in order to promote the best interests of players and the game; they would continue to assess the draft-eligibility rules. That was until the NBA finally took a step this week to stand with their belief this week.
In July 2018, Adam Silver, NBA Commissioner released a statement that gave a glimpse of hope on the possibility of lowering the draft age to 18. He said that in his personal view, they are ready to make a change and that they should be taking a serious step in lowering the draft age to 18. The commissioner released the statement after the annual meetings of the commission and the college community in Las Vegas.
Reports are now alleging that the NBA's official proposal for lowering the draft age to 18 has something to do with Zion Williamson's injury. Zion was one of those whose NBA draft had to wait due to the "one and done" rule.
