The one-and-done rule has an NBA tag.
But the league's commissioner is far from its biggest supporter.
If he had it his way, it'd be a two-and-done rule for college players with dreams of playing in the NBA.
David Stern reiterated on The Dan Patrick Show his desire for a one-year increase on the current rule that a player must be one year removed from high school graduation or be 19 years old to enter the NBA draft.
"I think it would be a great idea to change (the current rule) to two-and-done," Stern said on the radio show.
The commissioner pointed blame to the National Basketball Players Association.
"Everyone I hear from -- NBA players, actually college coaches, NBA teams -- everyone says it's a pretty good idea, except the (NBPA), whose consent is necessary to change it. So, what I tell people to do is, 'Don't call me, call their union.' "
A two-year minimum could be positive for both professional and college basketball with more players, but just how fair is the current rule to players who are NBA-ready at a young age like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant or Kevin Garnett? Increasing it one more year would only burden players like a Shabazz Muhammad who are ready to cash in on NBA money.
"My reaction to that is, we have the current rule, which is one year from high school ... because it's good for our business," Stern said. "We didn't do it to help or hurt the colleges. And any college could decide not to take a player who was likely to leave after a year, but indeed it would probably cost the college president his job."
The Milwaukee Bucks' Brandon Jennings found a way around the one-and-done rule as a top high school prospect by deciding to play overseas in Italy instead of playing one season in college at Arizona. Jennings notched an UnderArmour endorsement deal and was drafted 10th overall in the 2009 NBA draft.
Still, the one-and-done rule has worked out just fine for a team like Kentucky and coach John Calipari. This past season, following an NCAA championship, freshmen Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Marquis Teague and sophomores Terrence Jones and Doron Lamb all declared for the NBA draft.
About Reid and Mike
Reid Cherner has been with USA TODAY since 1982 and written Game On! since March 2008.
He has covered everything from high schools to horse racing to the college and the pros. The only thing he likes more than his own voice is the sound of readers telling him when he's right and wrong.
Michael Hiestand has covered sports media and marketing for USA TODAY, tackling the sports biz ranging from what's behind mega-events such as the Olympics and Super Bowl to the sometimes-hidden numbers behind the sports world's bottom line.
