There is a narrative of lies being told about college basketball’s one and done rule.

This rule allows players to attend college for one year then declare for the NBA draft.

The one and done rule allows players to receive a higher level of coaching and time to prove that they are talented enough to be in the NBA.

Every year the NBA draft takes 60 players, but only 1% of those players are coming out of their freshman year of college and only .6% of those make it to the NBA. College is just more time for potential injury to these elite players.

From a business standpoint, the one and done rule is particularly good because it allows fans to watch a superstar athlete while keeping the game fair. In the NBA there is a salary cap to ensure that a team can only have a certain amount of All-Star talent. The NCAA does not have this because the players are not being paid. Players can choose where they want to go based on their offers which can allow for one team to dominate all other competition during the season which would affect the viewership of the NCAA.

The one and done rule was instated for high school athletes to ease the difficult transition to the NBA. Before the rule, players were able to enter the draft straight from high school.  This made it exceedingly difficult for players to adjust to the new coaching, play, style, and talent.  A couple of weeks is not long enough for these young players to adjust to playing the best players in the world.

Some may say this rule needs to be changed, but many people want these star athletes to play for multiple years just like NCAA football’s mandatory three years. Yet evidence shows that 43% of all college basketball athletes have a time loss injury in their college career that lower their draft stock or even eliminate them from the draft all together.

The one and done rule is in the best interest for the players, NCAA, and NBA.  It gives young men a smooth and comfortable transition while further improving their skills.

The players are a source of money for the NCAA and everything done is in the best interest for the players. This rule is in the best interest for the players in the long run, while allowing the NCAA to continue to make money.