Southern Ontario Model United Nations Assembly XLVII [NBA Committee]: [NBA Draft Eligibility] Topic [001]: NBA Draft Eligibility Introduction Since the National Basketball Association (NBA) held its inaugural season in 1946, the question of how to best sustain the league has plagued its executives. The NBA draft solves this issue, offering a process by which teams can select (usually young) players who wish to join the league, sign them, and add them to their rosters, creating a constant influx of new talent. While the draft has been expanded and refined, the question remains, what factors should dictate a players eligibility to enter the draft? NBA Draft Logistics The NBA draft occurs in late June, once the regular season, and playoffs have concluded. Players who have decided to enter the draft, and been deemed eligible, usually attend a draft combine, where they are put through various physical Southern Ontario Model United Nations Assembly XLVII [NBA Committee]: [NBA Draft Eligibility] tests (standing vertical, ¾ court sprint etc.) and drills (including a full court scrimmage). This, along with players performance in games, gives scouts and franchises an idea of who they are interested in drafting. Teams can then host players for individual workouts, adding to their informational databank. A lottery system is used to determine which teams receive the first 14 picks of the draft.1 The odds of receiving the number one overall pick, depend on the team's record, with the team with the worst record the past season having the best odds of being awarded the number one pick. Once a draft order is decided upon, picks can be traded between franchises for other assets. Currently, the draft consists of 60 picks, divided into two rounds of 30 selections.2 Once selected, franchises decide whether they wish to sign a player to their rookie contract, sign a player to a two way deal3, or teams may decide to completely waive a player, granting them free agency. Drafts in Other Professional Sports Considering the size of other professional sport drafts in the United States, the NBA draft is comparatively small. The National Hockey League (NHL) draft currently consists of seven rounds, totalling 217 picks, but has historically gone on for up to 14 rounds. Similarly, the National Football League (NFL) draft also consists of only seven rounds. The Major League Baseball (MLB) draft consists of upwards of 60 rounds, offering teams the opportunity to draft for as long as they 1 “2016 NBA Draft Lottery: How the Drawing Process Works & Lottery Odds.” Indiana Pacers, ​ ​ ​ NBA.com/Bulls, 17 May 2016, www.nba.com/news/draft/nba-draft-lottery-what-will-happen-2016/. ​ ​ 2 “NBA Draft.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Nov. 2018, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_draft. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 3 A two way deal is contingent on whether a player is assigned to play within the NBA itself, or a teams G ​ league affiliate. The amount an athlete is paid is directly related to which league they play in. Southern Ontario Model United Nations Assembly XLVII [NBA Committee]: [NBA Draft Eligibility] wish, until all players of interest have been selected. While the NHL and NFL host combines, similar to that of the NBA, prior to their respective drafts, the MLB does not offer a league sponsored event. The MLB also hosts their draft in the middle of the season, whereas other leagues wait until the offseason has begun. The procedure by which each draft is conducted is relatively similar. In each draft, either a team representative or league commissioner announces the picks, in ascending order. In the NHL, a player is only eligible to be drafted between the age of 18 and 20. Those entering the NFL draft almost always come out of American collegiate programs, most likely members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). MLB draft eligibility is more complicated, involving required residences, previous contracts, and age. The NBA draft is relatively short and simple, but remains crucial to teams looking to ensure their franchises future, due to the potent talent locked within the 60 pick affair.4 NBA Draft History The very first draft occurred in 1947, but at that time the league was called the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The first official NBA draft occurred in 1950, on April 25. It consisted of 121 selections, the first being Paul Arizin, from Villanova University. Other picks came from schools ranging from La Salle University to Stanford.5 Since then the draft has been shortened, to its current 60 4 Bill Meltzer, “NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL Drafts - What's the Difference?” NHl, nhl.com, Jun. 19, 2017 ​ ​ ​ https://www.nhl.com/flyers/news/nfl-nba-mlb-and-nhl-drafts---whats-the-difference-i-philadelphia-flyers/c-2 89984864 5 “1950 NBA Draft.” Basketball-Reference.com, www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1950.html. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Southern Ontario Model United Nations Assembly XLVII [NBA Committee]: [NBA Draft Eligibility] pick duration. Some notable NBA Drafts are the 2003 draft, for the selections of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Carmelo Anthony, as well as the 1984 draft where superstars like Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, John Stockton and Hakeem Olajuwon were procured.6 The 2000 draft is notorious for its lack of talent. Overall, since 1950 the NBA draft has been steadily refined, allowing it to morph into the strictly regimented, efficient, and scientific process it has become today. Draft Eligibility League executives have long wondered how to best maintain the steady influx of talent into the league. This has led to many disputes over what being draft eligible should truly entail. Should players be granted eligibility from high school? Should they be forced to attend University? Allowed to play professionally? These are but a few of the questions league management, the NCAA, and USA Basketball have long grappled with. Historical Eligibility from the United States The NBA has always been comprised largely of players born or raised in the United States. 70% of players in today's NBA are American, thogh the buymber of international players has steadily risen since the leagues conception.7 Possibly the most crucial section of NBA draft legislation is that addressing when American citizens should become eligible to enter the draft. Historically, players were allowed 6 Miller, Kerry. “Ranking the Top 10 NBA Draft Classes of All Time.” Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report, 30 July ​ ​ ​ 2018, https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2784908-ranking-the-top-10-nba-draft-classes-of-all-time. ​ ​ 7 Gaines, Cork. “The Number of Foreign-Born Players in the NBA Appears to Have Reached a Plateau.” ​ Business Insider, Business Insider, 23 Nov. 2016, www.businessinsider.com/nba-foreign-born-players-2016-11. ​ ​ ​ Southern Ontario Model United Nations Assembly XLVII [NBA Committee]: [NBA Draft Eligibility] to enter the NBA draft immediately after completing high school. This is the path all time great players such as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, and Tracy McGrady took. This meant players could hire agents, and begin to receive endorsements as they graduated. This led to issues of corruption, with agents contacting teenagers, brands offering endorsements to players before they graduated, and colleges trying to convince students to attend their university opposed to entering the draft, with monetary, and other similar bribes. Corruption formed tensions within the players family, and often raised dubious moral questions. Formation and Logistics of the One-and-Done Rule These issues led to the formation of the so called “one-and-done rule” in 2006. This rule requires players to be at least 19 years of age within their draft year. This means that players are no longer able to enter the draft from high school, instead, they must wait at least one year before becoming eligible. Most players attend a Division I NCAA school, the University of Kentucky has thrived by obtaining high level high school prospects for single year. Players may also choose to go play overseas, in the G League, train on their own, or attend a high school academy for another year, all of the options listed will allow them to remain draft eligible the coming year. Once players decide to declare for the NBA draft, they may hire agents, and attend the draft combine. Southern Ontario Model United Nations Assembly XLVII [NBA Committee]: [NBA Draft Eligibility] Issues With the One-and-Done Rule Current draft eligibility rules are often seen as being beneficial to large institutions, opposed to the players themselves. With the implementation of the one-and-done rule, NBA level players attend large Division I schools, generating revenue for the NCAA, while the players make nothing. The NCAA’s final tournament, known as March Madness, agreed to a 10.8 billion dollar deal with CBS and Turner broadcasting.8 This does not even account for the revenue created by ticket sales. The NCAA is able to sell tickets due to the hype, this same hype is what causes schools to bribe players into joining their programs.9 They label these same elite players as “amateurs” in order to ensure their lack of payment. New draft eligibility rules also benefit NBA franchises. University basketball offers teams the opportunity to evaluate prospects for another year, allowing them to see whether players can thrive against older, larger, stronger and more athletic competition. Reducing the risk, and possible mistakes made by teams in the draft. It is argued that players should have the option to do what is right for them. If they require money early, entering the draft immediately out of highschool may make sense. This would lessen the talent found in the NCAA, and reduce revenue surrounding college 8 The extension to the current deal -- for a combined total rights fee of $8.8 billion -- will keep the big game at ​ Turner, and CBS until 2032.