Silver open to revisiting age issue

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says he and NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts both agree that the issue of the NBA age minimum “needs to be studied” more, with the commissioner noting it “requires that we take a new look and a new approach to the issue” in the future.

Speaking at his annual state-of-the-NBA address on the eve of Sunday’s All-Star Game, Silver was asked about the age minimum and if it’s an issue that doesn’t need a collective bargaining agreement negotiation to revisit.

“Well, first of all, we absolutely need the union in order to revisit the age,” Silver said. “The current age minimum of 19 years old, but something Michele and I discussed directly – and this is different than last time we negotiated a Collective Bargaining Agreement – is that rather than say to you that talk to us in seven years when we sit back down to negotiate a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, I think she and I both agree that it’s the kind of issue that needs to be studied, in essence, outside of the bright lights of collective bargaining.”

The early-entry age for the NBA draft remains 19. American players also must be one year removed from high school to be eligible to be drafted.

Silver admitted that revisiting the age issue is “complex” but that he has a “better understanding” of it now.

“I think both of us, while our traditional positions have been the league would like to raise the minimum age from 19 to 20, and at least Michele’s stated position is that she’d like to lower it from 19 to 18, I think there’s an acknowledgment that the issue is far more complex than that,” said Silver.