Kareem On the NBA Age Requirement

Four years ago the NBA instituted a policy that requires a Draft candidate to be out of high school for at least one year. Since that time, a debate has raged on whether or not that rule should be rescinded or if it should, in fact, be extended. In a recent interview, Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar weighed in with his belief that the rule should be extended to age 21.

I'm going to get around to writing a full column about this subject one of these days. I've done some research on this and it is an issue I'm passionate about. Most high school kids are not physically up to the demands they will face in the move to the NBA. But for the time being, I'll just address Kareem's statements.

Bravo, Kareem. I'm not sure 21 is the age the NBA should settle on, but two years out of high school would be a better setup than the current policy. This one-and-done thing that so many players are going with for their college experience (see: the entire Kentucky basketball program) is ridiculous and comprimising the already shaky integrity of the NCAA as a whole. Developing a policy that requires players to be out of high school for two years forces them to do one of two things: go to school and at least make some headway toward a degree, or play overseas in the less physical, less demanding leagues and build toward being ready for the NBA. It's a simple solution that fixes two problems at once and I hope the NBA brass will listen to one of its more enduring alumni.