WASHINGTON, D.C. – A lawmaker urged the National Basketball Association (NBA) on Wednesday to repeal its requirement that players be at least 19 years old and a year out of high school before entering the league, calling the restriction unfair.
Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., sent identical letters to NBA commissioner David Stern and union leader Billy Hunter, asking that they scrap the requirement in the next collective bargaining agreement.
Cohen, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, called the requirement “an unfair restriction on the rights of these young men to pursue their intended career.”
In an e-mail, NBA spokesman Tim Frank said, “We are looking forward to receiving, reviewing and responding to the congressman’s letter, as we always do.”
