by Alex Hill

Created on: July 10, 2009   Last Updated: July 12, 2009

The NBA draft eligibility rules - I simply do not understand them! I might be wrong but, should it not be the player's choice whether or not he goes to college or straight to the pros? Why are hundreds of amazing high school hooper's having to commit and play for colleges when they, are indeed, already NBA ready? Here is a list of some successful players who entered the NBA upon finishing high school:

1) Probably the most famous of the group - Kobe Bryant. With his career stats consisting of an 81-point game, 4 NBA championships, and a career scoring of 23,820 points, all according to www.nba.com, Kobe is not only the best "straight from high school" player ever but, arguably, one of the greatest off all-time!

2) Lebron James - Enough said! Lebron James, known as "King James," is one of the best players to come straight from high school and is already, in his very young career, being compared with the likes of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. In only 6 seasons so far, James has already accumulated 12,993 career points and over 3,000 career assists!

OTHER NOTABLE PLAYERS FROM HIGH SCHOOL INCLUDE:

*Amare Stoudemire

*Josh Smith

*Tracy McGrady

*Kevin Garnett and many more...

So, with all these successful players who have come from high school, why are these players being forced to play at least one year of college ball? Lets say LeBron James high school class was one in which they had to go college for a year. LeBron, being the great player he is, signs with a big name school like Duke or North Carolina. While trying to bring his team back from the brink of defeat, LeBron strains himself to much and tears his ACL! LeBron James, "The King", never even gets to enter the court. This is what can, and has, happened to college players since the eligibility rule was put into play! Just imagine that all these great players, who came straight from high school, were made to go to college, threatening their health and forever changing the course of history. Although this did not happen, this is what could happen to future NBA ready high school "baller's" who are ready to make an immediate impact in the NBA.

So, considering these facts, It is fair to say that the NBA and commissioner David Stern should take a look at the current draft eligibility rules, and consider - Reconsidering.

Information and stats provided are based on personal knowledge and those found at www.nba.com

Learn more about this author, Alex Hill.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.