Founded in 1946 the NBA has grown from a way that owners could make money offseason to a multi-million dollar league that has attracted fans all over the world. People such as Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Joel Embiid and LeBron James are some of the few people that have made a name for themselves after being drafted into the league. Lets’ start with When Must College Players Declare For NBA Draft?
Any player from any college must declare NBA draft until April 24th of every year. By this date, the announcement had already been made by the higher authorities. The players must do this on time.
Drafting criteria
- A player has to be 19 years old
- Have played college football at least for one year
- Be at least 22 years old and played in the major leagues around the world
- Younger players are mandated to declare eligibility and interest in the draft 60 days before drafting begins
A player can attempt drafting twice if rejected they become ineligible to play college basketball this was to discourage College athletes from drafting before they graduated from college. This is currently being reviewed to allow players to go back to college basketball.
Each team picks one player in the two rounds meaning 60 players end up being drafted into the leave before 1989 the rounds would go for numerous rounds and end up picking many players most of which never played in the league.
Pros of being drafted into professional basketball programs
- Playing professionally means you get a salary and earn remunerations from different sources such as endorsement deals and merchandise such as Adidas, red bull and Puma.
- Players get to interact with different people. Such interactions can create really good networks and connections influencing major decisions on and off-court such as coaching staff and player signing.
- Due to the high fitness standards needed to be maintained by players they have access to different equipment and technology that helps with fitness levels they are also provided with fitness coaches, nutritionists and access to top-notch medical attention.
- Players with successful careers can take early retirement and move on to other careers such as sports journalism and commentating, coaching and managing teams. Players have also been known to venture into active politics after basketball gave them the recognition to launch their political careers.
- The media attention and fan popularity with different players have led to Hollywood creating movies in honour of the players’ life such movies include the king of kings in honour of LeBron James, detail from the mind of Kobe Bryant, and more than a game among others this has inspired many upcoming players and enlighten them about the struggles of professional basketball.
- Players and their families have access to exclusive events and tickets for different games and events happening
- Playing in different states and Courts means the players get to travel the whole country on and off-season interacting with people from different cultures
- Leagues such as the NBA have many teams players, therefore, get to play and train with others challenging themselves and learning more about the game and themselves
- Playing any sport needs high levels of discipline and focus to succeed. Such skills are necessary for day to day life and have seen players thrive with these qualities even outside the league in places such as the military.
Cons of being drafted
- The biggest setback to any sport is getting injured. Injury has been known to stop an athlete’s career and in the cases where they do eventually come back, they are advised to take it easy. Some of these injuries need a constant intake of painkillers which can lead to dependency and addiction.
- The pressure to perform and maintain a high performance has caused a large number of basketball athletes to deteriorate mental well-being. Constantly having people rate your performance and societal expectations have led to lonely athletes seeking the use of drugs such as cocaine as a coping mechanism.
- The effects of diseases on players’ Physical fitness levels. COVID 19 was contracted by many players who had to struggle to build their fitness levels this meant that games and teams scored lower points compared to past years before the pandemic
- Players have been victims of racism from fans and managers. In some cases, the players have been racially profiled during games and gotten into fights. They do face consequences, however, fans are not held accountable for their actions. Leaving a question of how the league can protect its players from such ignorance.
Problems faced in the NBA
- During the COVID 19 pandemic restrictions on gathering a large number of people caused the cancellation of games in the 2019-2020 season this saw the league make losses of millions in ticket sales
- Because of the large number of players that got addicted to cocaine the league has had to perform random drug testing on the players they’ve also had to deal with the loss of talented players with others being fired while others dying as a result of an overdose
- Match-fixing by different players influenced by team managers threatened the league’s continuity. Betting brokers would ask players to ensure the game ended with certain results in exchange for money.
Financial tips for future players
- Have a retirement plan. Unforeseen injuries can be the cause of your early retirement. You’ll need to know what you can do outside the court. Basketball has given numerous players other career opportunities.
- Using the connections and network created during your time on and off the court can be useful in political careers, coaching and management of teams.
- A player’s constant paycheck and numerous sources of income ensure that the player has money; this money can be invested in a plan to always make sure he has revenue streaming in even after retirement.
- Make investments in housing and healthcare. Players are always moving from one state to another, especially during the season they stay in hotel rooms paid for by the league. Having a home will ensure the player has a place to live in the offseason. Having an elaborate health plan ensures the player can get access to the best health care services because of the injury they get during training and the game.
