The NBA is moving farther away from the controversial rule that has fueled the rise of "one-and-done" players in college basketball.
Commissioner Adam Silver told reporters in Las Vegas on Tuesday that he believes the league will soon drop its requirement that players be a year removed from their high school graduation before they enter the draft.
DeCOURCY: Rice Commission report addresses tired, disproven theories
"My personal view is that we're ready to make that change," Silver, speaking after a Board of Governors meeting, said, per The Associated Press. "It won't come immediately. But when I've weighed the pros and cons, given that Condoleezza Rice and her (Commission on College Basketball) have recommended to the NBA that those one-and-done players now come directly into the league and in essence the college community is saying, 'We do not want those players anymore,' I think that tips the scale in my mind."
DeCOURCY: Report's attack on 'one-and-done' blatant political rhetoric
Silver did not give a timetable for ending the requirement, but the AP in its report speculated that changes could be in place for the 2021 NBA Draft.
DeCOURCY: Dumping 'one-and-done' ignores impact on NBA's growth
The National Basketball Players Association needs to sign off on this change. Its executive director, Michele Roberts, has been in discussions with Silver about the issue in recent months, the AP noted. She was cryptic when speaking with the media Tuesday.
"Stay tuned," she said, per the AP. "I suspect that we'll have some news in the next few months."
A commission led by Rice, a former U.S. secretary of state, reported in April to NCAA president Mark Emmert that "one-and-done" is having a corrupting effect on the game. Rice herself said that there is a need to “separate the collegiate track from the professional track” in college basketball.
