Castod28183 t1_j92w8qp wrote
>It should be noted that Harris was technically the second woman drafted into the NBA. The first was Denise Long, a phenom in her own right who in 1969 was drafted by the Golden State Warriors straight out of Iowa’s Union-Whitten High School when she was just 19 years old.
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>A 5-foot-11 forward, Long consistently scored over 100 points in individual high school games and specialized at shooting the deep ball in an era where the 3-point line did not even exist yet. However, NBA Commissioner Walter Kennedy vetoed Long’s selection because the NBA did not allow women or players straight from high school to be drafted.
Sdog1981 t1_j943yvi wrote
They didn’t allow any high school players back then. Spencer Haywood had to sue the NBA for the right to play. The case Haywood v. National Basketball Association went to the Supreme Court.
[deleted] t1_j94tihb wrote
Kinda wild tbh. Is it because the degree isn't actually required? Seems odd a company would be forced to change a policy like that.
Sdog1981 t1_j94txjd wrote
I think it was a misguided way of protecting college basketball. In their view they could protect themselves by picking bad players if they spend more time playing college basketball before their first pro contract.
[deleted] t1_j94u6s8 wrote
It's still odd to me that the supreme Court would rule in favor of the player in this case. It would seem companies can make up pretty much any requirements for a position they want as long as it's not discriminatory by law. It's just rather interesting, I wonder if it was a matter of the franchise that drafted him having the ability to set their own requirements.
Sdog1981 t1_j94ub2w wrote
The NBA settled before it was argued. So I think they knew they were going to loose.
AssociateFlashy4216 t1_j98jd0x wrote
Its collusion when all the teams agree not to select high schoolers. To me its interesting that the Court now allows the NBA teams to collude and force one year of college or G-league on players.
UncommonHouseSpider t1_j98wtrc wrote
There is a lot of money and power tied to college basketball. It is big business and they were protecting their interests by keeping good players from skipping right into the big leagues. It's not right, but that's what people with money and power do.
Sdog1981 t1_j98x54i wrote
It’s funny to think of college basketball having more power than the NBA in the 60s and 70s but it was true
garlicbreadmemesplz t1_j95k0yx wrote
Was this before or after he cutoff his penis. No but Haywood was crucial to helping the league move forward.
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