Kobe Bryant announced his retirement by writing a very moving letter to basketball. In addition to being one of the biggest NBA stars, he was also one of the very few players that went straight from high school to NBA. Bryant was drafted in 1996, and in 2006 NBA instituted a rule requiring that a player be at least 19 years of age and at least one year removed from high school before he is eligible to be drafted by NBA. The rule was instituted in response to considerable furor and debate regarding high-school players deciding to enter NBA draft, those forfeiting eligibility to play in the NCAA (college). Although hindsight is 20/20, pretend it is 1996. What would have been your advice to Kobe back in 1996, should he enter the draft or not? Does his academic performance (apparently he was a pretty good student with a fairly high SAT score) play any role in your advice? What about the fact that his father is an ex NBA and European leagues professional player (assume that he is wealthy). Would your advice be different for LeBron James (drafted in 2003), who did not have the same family and academic background? Explain your reasoning.

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

In 1996 Kobe Bryant regarding whether to enter the NBA draft straight out of high school would have ... View the full answer