NBA not expected to end "one-and-done" rule in new CBA, per report

The path to ending the “one-and-done” rule doesn’t appear to be on the horizon.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, in the NBA and National Basketball Players Association’s (NBPA) pursuit of signing a new collective bargaining agreement by the end of Friday, any potential deal would not include the minimum age requirement for the draft being lowered. Currently, potential draft prospects must be at least 19 years old and one full year removed from high school before entering the NBA Draft. Ending the rule would allow high school seniors to jump straight to the NBA without a gap year in between.

This news comes several months after Wojnarowski reported that ending the “one-and-done” rule was among the “top priorities” for a new CBA, with a change coming as soon as 2024. However, that no longer seems to be the case. Barring a last-second shift, this rule will remain in place moving forward.

The NBA has employed the “one-and-done” rule since it was introduced ahead of the 2006 NBA Draft. Kentucky men’s basketball has benefitted more than any other college program from this rule, with head coach John Calipari bringing in elite high school prospects year after year before sending them off to the NBA after one season in Lexington. Cason Wallace, the Wildcats’ star freshman from the 2022-23 season, is expected to join that group, making the leap to the NBA as a potential lottery pick this summer after one season in college.

In Woj’s report from Friday, he indicates that NBA governors and executives are mostly against the idea of going back into high school gyms to evaluate prospects. The NBPA is likewise against ending the “one-and-done” rule, pointing to the possibility of 18-year-olds taking up roster spots and the addition of NIL making it easier for players to make money before going pro.