NBA Players Who Never Went To College
NBA Players Who Never Went To College:
It is a pure fact that most of the NBA players never attended college but with their talent and skills to play made them rise to the to of their game. At the same time, some of them were able to go through college, something that they are proud to have achieved. The National Basketball Association (NBA) is one of the most vied games in the world, and therefore, it is so easy for someone to know the little details of the players.
Most of the player think that when they go to college, maybe that will be wasted time as they are always after chasing their career once they are through with high school. It may not look wrong to them, but it is also appropriate when you do your things step by step. This way, people might recognize you as an achiever booth in school and in your career in sports, which is something that most of the players in the NBA do not want to chase.
It has been a normal case now that the NBA is full of high schoolers, and it has become a trend for decades now. They prefer to chase their careers in the NBA rather than continuing with education to another level. However, it is now considered as a fair phenomenon because the same people who never went to college are4 the same player who performs the best in the league. It is, therefore, a clear indication that your education background does not define who you are in any case.
Come to think of the like Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett who are both legends in the world of basketball. Surprisingly, they started their career immediately they were through with high school, and they became pro in the NBA in the 1990s. However, most of them have been flirtered of making it to the pro earlier, and they are only but high schoolers. This two-player lest a legacy despite having skipped college something that most of the players in the NBA had to go through.
Just like any other people can be criticized, these player have gone through humiliation and being criticized for joining the NBA directly from high school. For this reason, they are being underrated and told that they are not fit enough both mentally and physically. Also, they are told that they are not qualified enough to participate in any competition or perform at the level of most recognized and respected NBA legends. With how the professionals of the NBA put, it is clear with them that these high schoolers cannot perform well, thus leading to poor results on the court.
However, with the above arguments, it is evident that most of the professionals do not like to recruit high schoolers in their teams in fear that they will perform poorly. On the other hand, most of the sports such as golf, tennis, hockey, and baseball, have a different perspective when it comes to professionalism. Fortunately, these sports allow players to showcase their playing skills and talent even if they are high schoolers or below; this means that they also allow those who are younger.
This article is going to take you through the history of the high schoolers who managed to fight their way in the NBA, and they performed well even after being criticized. You will also know some of the players who are high schoolers, but they are members of the NBA.
Early Entry Into The NBA: History
In the past years, for you to join the NBA league, you were supposed to finish your four-year term in college before you proceed to be an NBA player. The league only recruited those who were through with their college education and not the high schoolers. Surprisingly, this was also a routine when some of the best performers in the NBA resigned to participate in the schools' Junior Varsity.
However, this was an indication that there were strict rules in the NBA league during that era and to be sincere the NBA scores at that time were high due to the professionalism that the players had.
Reggie Harding was an NBA player who was drafted by Detroit Pistons in 1962 even though he never went to any college. By this time, a high schooler only needed to out of school for a year before drafting took place. In 1963, Reggie Harding was re-drafted again by the Detroit Pistons. This was another history-making in the world of basketball, and it was later experienced in the following years. It was clear now that for you to join the NBA league, it was not a must that you go through college before you have a chance to play for the great sport.
However, a great change was experienced when the supreme court ruled in favour of the high schoolers, and this was a new begging to them. They were allowed to join NBA league direct from high school and not college as it was previously done. This saw many of the high school players to pursue their career at an early age. They were allowed to join the NBA draft when they are through with their high school education. However, it only applied to those who were able to explain themselves, and the hardship they are going through that made them want to join the NBA.
Additionally, most of them who got a chance to showcase their talent made it to the top, and this is when the professionals stopped criticizing the high schoolers. This was seen three years later when a high school player changed the league after he declared himself to join the league immediately after high school. This was an indication that the high schooler was now free to play for the NBA.
However, this was something that most of the people never expected in the league for a long time until when the supreme court made it official. The following are the players who managed to join the NBA league without having to enter the four-year college eligibility;
Moses Malone
This was one of the players that joined the NBA as a young star straight from high school. Utah Stars drafted him. This was as a result of the competition to have players by the NBA and ABA who wanted players to enter their league in 1974. However, in this case, Malone was won by the ABA that made the ABA's Utah Stars draft him.
Fortunately, Malone managed to have a great impact in the world of basketball after he scored an average of 14 rebounds and 18 points in his entire rookie year. Moreover, he continued with the same spirit for the 19 years that he has been in the NBA and was recorded as a successful career in his life. During his career in the league, he managed to win so many titles which included three league MVP awards, an NBA title, a spot in the basketball hall of fame which only consisted of the legends in the game and finally he managed to win 12 straight All-Star selections during his stay in the league.
Darryl Dawkins and Bill Willoughby
They both declared to join the NBA draft in 1975 and fortunately, they were both picked in their first round of the competition. However, Dawkins was best known when he performed his gimmick and rim-rocking dunks. But it was unfortunate that with all his dunks it still did not match expectation something that was a great set back in his career. Besides, he was always one of the best players who joined the league direct from high school.
However, with Willoughby, his career was forgotten easily because, like many players, he did not do much in his stay in the NBA league. Willoughby managed to play for the league for eight good years, but during this time, he performed in six different teams but only managed to have an average of six points in his career in basketball. After the 1975 drafting, The league never drafted any high school player for over 14 years. This was an indication that at this time there was no high schooler who was interested in joining the league at that time.
Kevin Garnett
Since the last drafting happened in 1975, there was no other until in 1995 when Kevin Garnett declared himself for the NBA Draft immediately he was through with his high school education. However, he was the one who made the topic of drafting high school player to reappear after so many years of its absence. It was unfortunate for him because he received critics from every corner that told him he was not ready to play for the NBA.
Moreover, this was different on the night drafting was taking place, because he managed to have a win against his critics when he was drafted as the fifth player by the Minnesota Timberwolves. This was the beginning of his career. However, at some point, people who used to criticize him thought that they were right because Kevin's job was good yes but not great as people thought it would be. However, with basketball professional, he was to be given a chance since that was just but his first season in the game.
In the years that followed he managed to prove his critics wrong when he improved his game and just like other basketball players, he was someone to be watched and his fans could not remove their eyes off him. His stay in the league for twenty-three years with a promising career made him be named as a hall of fame. He managed to have an MVP award, four rebounding titles, an NBA title, 9-time -NBA, 15 All-Star teams and 12-time ALL-Defense. You can say that this player had a lot to give out to his team, the NBA league in general and his fans who supported him in his time as an NBA player.
Kobe Bryant
This player was equally similar to Kevin as both of them had a promising career even before they joined the NBA league and this is what made them climb in the limelight faster than any other player. Like Kevin, Kobe also won a national player of the year award when he was still in high school. This was proof that Kobe was a great player, and he was likely to be given a chance if he demanded it. He managed to draft just a year after Kevin did the same. However, with him, his career never rose so fast. It started slowly as he used to play for only 15 minutes in every game.
Fortunately, he became the youngest basketball player to win the NBA Slum Duck title, and this impressed so many people together with his fans. However, in his time, he had to deal with basketball legends like Michael Jordan, unlike Garnett's time. This happened because of his size, style of play and the position he used to play. Despite that, he continued to give out his best even if he never managed to climbs up to Jordan's heights. His career lasted for 20 years, and he managed to win 18 All-Star games, 1 MVP award, 2 NBA finals, 5 NBA titles, and he was still the 2-time league scoring champion.
LeBron James
This was probably the most popular player that never joined college after his high school. Unlike other players from high school in the NBA, James was the only one who was the unproven player who also had a promising career with high expectation just from the time he joined the league. His first dunk in his first game in the league was symbolic of a great player, and he has proven this to be true as the years go by. He was one player that had to hold on to his skills ever since he became an NBA player.
He has 18 years now in his career, and he is still at a high level of his game. With his 4NBA MVP awards, 3 Finals MVPs and 3 NBA title he is surely one of the halls of Famer in basketball. Currently, he is playing for the lakers, and this team is one of the favourite basketball teams in the NBA. Finally, the NBA near anaheim was also behind the idea of improving on the high schooler because they had a bright future in the NBA.
Bottom Line
With the above article, indeed, education can never define to detect what people may want for their life. This is why high schoolers have continued to impress so many people with their skilful way of playing on the court. Most of the basketball player who never went to college have proved that they deserve to be judged on who they perform and not their level of education. But sometimes it is also good if you are good in both sectors something that only a few have. Lastly, if you think that maybe you are not contented with the above information, or you want more on the same, then you can visit Freaky Shoes freakyshoes.com and find anything you want to know.