Kristian soares
Professor Mareka
Exploratory Essay
Is College an Option?
It is true that NBA players are freaks of nature. The jumping ability, the
towering heights, the flashy lifestyle outside the court and the electrifying passion
for game shown every time they step in the court. It goes without saying that
basketball players are one of the best athletes in the world. They are known where
ever they go, from Asia to most African countries if you ask people who Kobe Bryant
or Michael Jordan are you will most likely get the same answers. The best basketball
players they know, the most decorated players they know, winners of the game and
amazing athletes. The hard part to explain is where these star studded athletes
started. What are their backgrounds, who raised them and how did they manage to
become as successful as they did? Explaining where they come from makes us look
deeper at the transition period it took for them to reach the level of the NBA and
with that transition we take a closer look at the education these players are given.
That brings the debate many have been battling for years. Should pro prospects be
given the opportunity to go pro after high school or should they stay in school to
receive a better education before making the jump to the pros.
The question is, should players who are ready to jump to the pros at the early
ages of 17 and 18 be allowed to skip the college stage of their lives. A survey taken
from a NBA teams website suggest that 59% of people who voted feel that players
should not be forced to attend college (4). David stern the commissioner of nba has
stated that with the new rule all future draft players are required to be 19 or spend a
year in college in order to be drafted to a nba team (1).
The argument starts when many of the best players known throughout the
basketball pro league and were prodigies from the moment they started high school
or even earlier. For the likes of Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Amare’e Stoudemire and
LeBron James to name a few are players who made that jump successfully. Kobe is a
five time world champion just to mention the most appraisable of his countless
achievements, Garnett is a former MVP of the league multiple time all-star and a
champion, Stoudemire is regarded as one of the best power forwards of the league
the rookie of the year in 2002 after making his jump from high school, and then
there’s LeBron James also known as the chosen one, the player who is best
