Kevin Garnett says changes to one-and-done rule won't benefit players

Former NBA All-Star Kevin Garnett gave his two cents on the potential change of the one-and-done rule, saying it's likely to benefit everyone but players

The one-and-done concept in college basketball has been a very contentious topic. On one hand, there are high school players who want to skip playing college and head straight to the NBA because they can’t, since the league requires players to have at least one year of experience playing anywhere besides the NBA. On the other hand, this takes away the players’ chances of making NBA money right away.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver had before sent feelers about probable changes in the league’s stance about the one-and-done rule, but for former NBA player Kevin Garnett, any changes are just going to primarily benefit the NCAA or the NBA and not the players.

via Jonathan Abrams of Bleacher Report:

“No, I don’t see the rule changing. And if I do see the rule changing, the rule is going to be changed not for the betterment of college [players],” said Garnett. “I think they would try to get the kids to stay a little longer. I think kids leaving early out of high school hurts the college game. You can do it in tennis; you can do it any other sport, leave early, but basketball [is] the most impactful game, the most recognizable game — so I understand the control or the ability to try and control it. Players are going to find ways to get through it, loop[hole] it.”

The NCAA continued refusal to pay college players on top of scholarships has led to the proverbial one-and-done phenomenon in the college ranks which forced players like Ben Simmons, Andrew Wiggins, and Jabari Parker to play for one year for their respective campuses before jumping into the NBA. Without the rule, they would have likely declared for the NBA Draft immediately after finishing high school. There are ways to skip college and play in the NBA and that’s by going overseas, which the likes of Emmanuel Mudiay and Brandon Jennings have done in the past.

It’s worth noting that Garnett turned pro right after he was done with high school in 1995, and he was fortunate that there was no such rule in place back then to stop him from crossing over to the major league. However, for every Garnett and LeBron James, there’s a Sebastian Telfair and a Kwame Brown who failed to live up to the hype and in retrospect, would’ve been more prepared for the NBA if they played at least one year in college or in another basketball institution.