Before 2005, the minimum age criteria to enter the league used to be 18 years old. But that year, the league changed it to 19 years old, and it had a major impact on one thing. Prior to 2005, players could enter the NBA directly from high school.
However, that is no longer the case. But according to reliable NBA insider Shams Charania, the league is thinking about changing the minimum age to enter the NBA back to 18.
The new rule could be implemented as soon as the 2024 NBA Draft, and fans are excited about it. Speaking of the rule change, former NBA star Vince Carter shared his thoughts on it as well.
Vince Carter Shares A Story Of Playing Against NBA Players When He Was In High School
Carter might have been 22 years old when he entered the league, but that wasn’t the first time he faced off against NBA-level players. In a recent episode of his podcast, Carter shared his experience of playing against Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway when he was still in high school.
(Starts at 9:40):
“I got the opportunity to play pick up ball with Penny, Shaq, Nick… and you know all of these guys at that time… So I was fortunate enough to get a couple, you know, opportunities to see what the league was like. And I was like, bro, you know, this game is faster. It’s wide open. So it was, it fit how I played, but I just – man, Penny, I was talking about Penny in his prime. I got the man. It’s crazy.
The game wasn’t compact. High school, you can sit in the paint. If your team’s not good, you sit in the paint, you go to zone. NBA was wide open and faster so I’m like, man wait, I could just run, run, run and it’s wide open and just throw it up there. It was just a different game for me.”
Carter had a long and amazing career in the NBA, which lasted for 22 seasons. Although he succumbed to being a role player during the last few seasons of his career, during his prime, he was a force to be reckoned with.
Maybe playing against NBA players at a young age helped him hone his game accordingly. But Vince still decided to attend college and enter the league when he felt he was ready.
