NBA teams, in search of the next LeBron James, couldn't stop throwing millions of dollars at unproven high school products, so former commissioner David Stern created the "one-and-done" rule, which basically funneled every elite American prospect into college, in 2005.
Unsurprisingly, money still found its way into the hands of those talented enough to earn it. This, of course, snowballed into the FBI corruption probe currently rocking amateur basketball from coast to coast.
In response to that, current commissioner Adam SIlver is looking at ways to soften that rule.
From Brian Windhorst of ESPN:
Current NBA commissioner Adam Silver and several of his top advisers have been engaged in listening tours and information-gathering missions with an array of stakeholders for months. That has included formal meetings with the National Basketball Players Association about adjusting the so-called "one-and-done" age-limit rule. But Silver's aim is much more comprehensive than simply re-opening the door for 18-year-olds to play in the NBA, sources said.
A plan is expected to include the NBA starting relationships with elite teenagers while they are in high school, providing skills to help them develop both on and off the court. It would ultimately open an alternate path to the NBA besides playing in college and a way 18-year-olds could earn a meaningful salary either from NBA teams or as part of an enhanced option in the developmental G League, sources said.
That kind of setup works for college baseball. Seems like it could work in the NBA, even with slightly different parameters.
