John Calipari has been one of the most vocal about how the NBA’s age limit isn’t working, and he’s taking his case directly to the NBA Players’ Association.
Calipari again called for the removal of the age limit rule, and said that he met last week with the NBPA and urged them to establish a “combine” event for high school juniors.
“The players and the families need to know – here are the ones who should be thinking about the NBA, and here are the ones who should not,” Calipari told Mac Engel of the Star-Telegram. “That’s why you need a combine.
“If they want to go out of high school, go. If they want to go to college and then leave, let them leave when they want to leave. Why would we force a kid to stay? ‘Well – it’s good for the game?’ It’s about these kids and their families. Because let me tell you, if we (abolish one-and-done), the kids that do come to college will stay for two to three years.”
Calipari also suggested the NBA ensure G-League contracts contain college education funds to ensure that younger players aren’t encouraged to forgo an education to seek their big break professionally.
“What do we do with these kids now? What do we do if they are not academically ready at all, because they didn’t plan on it?” Calipari said. “Who wants to take care of those thousands of kids whose family, many times, are dealing with generational poverty and their chance was maybe to get him an education?
“Now, how many kids do you think who went thinking, ‘I’m here one, or two, and done and stayed all four years? It’s been proven by the graduation rates it’s a ton. What’s wrong with that? I don’t care what they do, but let’s not force them to go to the G League. If they choose to do that, that’s fine, but why don’t we make sure if they don’t make it in, they at least have a chance at a guaranteed education.”
We’re already seeing high schoolers try to go directly into the G-League. The system isn’t working, and Calipari is taking on an active role in trying to change it for the better.
