Mark Cuban Also Wants the NBA’s Age Limit Raised


David Stern and Mark Cuban haven’t agreed on very much over the years, but if there’s one subject they’re united on, it’s the NBA’s controversial age limit. Both men want it raised. From the Dallas Morning News: “NBA commissioner David Stern said on Tuesday that he would like to require players to be at least 20, and/or two years out of high school, before they can be drafted. The current rule only requires draftees to be 19 and a year out of high school. […] Mark Cuban says he agrees with Stern, except that Cuban would like to take it a step further and require draftees to wait until they have been out of high school for three years. ‘It’s not even so much about lottery busts,’ Cuban said. ‘It’s about kids’ lives that we’re ruining. Even if you’re a first-round pick and you have three years of guaranteed money, or two years now of guaranteed money, then what? Because if you’re a bust and it turns out you just can’t play in the NBA, your ‘rocks for jocks’ one year of schooling isn’t going to get you far. I just don’t think it takes into consideration the kids enough. Obviously, I think there’s significant benefit for the NBA. It’s not my decision to make, but that’s my opinion on it. The NBA and the Players’ Association had an opportunity to amend the rule during last year’s contentious collective bargaining negotiations. Instead, the sides mostly bickered about how to split revenue, although the Players Association did agree to form a committee to discuss potential changes. The committee, which has only been loosely formed at this point, would likely consist of some owners, NBA Players Association reps and NCAA officials. The collective bargaining agreement that was signed in December is for six years, so in order to change the eligibility requirement all sides would have to agree to amend the current CBA. Stern points out that the NFL requires draftees to be out of high school at least three years. He also notes that the NFL is rarely is criticized for having the rule. Stern and Cuban aren’t often on the same side of an issue, but in this case Cuban shares the commissioner’s frustration that the eligibility issue wasn’t addressed during CBA negotiations. […] ‘I just think there’s a lot more kids that get ruined coming out early or going to school trying to be developed to come out early than actually make it. For every Kobe (Bryant) or (Kevin) Garnett or Carmelo (Anthony), there’s 100 Lenny Cooke’s,’ Cuban said. ‘I think then we just put them in the D-League for three years and then they become draft-eligible with their class,’ Cuban said. ‘They could go to Europe if they want, like Brandon Jennings. That’d be fine. There is nothing that I would like better than to throw our problems on FIBA. Then we’d get some of our money’s worth with them.’”