WASHINGTON (AP)—A lawmaker urged the 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.”
Stern has said he would be interested in raising the minimum age to 20— although he was happy the way the current rule was working. The current agreement runs through 2011.
