Should students drop out of school to play professional basketball?

Jet, June 5, 1995

The lure of multimillion dollar contracts is enough to make students drop their desires for a sheepskin and gleefully sign on the dotted line to enter the high-paying workforce of the NBA.

Students see such NBA stars as Shaquille O'Neal, Chris Webber, Grant Hill, Jason Kidd and Penny Hardaway sign $30-plus million contracts and it seems they are "livin' large."

It's no wonder a flood of juniors, sophomores and one outstanding high school star have opted to turn pro this year, prompting the question: Should students drop out of school to play pro basketball?

Some suggest that an education will allow these young men to mature and prepare to manage their lives as professionals.

But others contend that outside pressures are too great and if you've got the talent, use it before you lose it.

That's how NBA star Moses Malone saw it when he stepped from the high school hardwood to pros 21 years ago.

In 1974, Malone--then 19--signed a seven-year, $3 million contract with the now-defunct American Basketball Association's (ABA) Utah Stars to become the first person ever to go from high school to the professional ranks. At the time, Malone did not receive his high school diploma.

As a player, the 6-foot-10, 215-pounder out of Petersburg (VA) High School took to the pro game like a duck to water, but had difficulty adjusting to being in the spotlight.

Now 40 and a future Hall of Fame center, Malone is a back-up with the San Antonio Spurs. He told JET he has no regrets about his decision, "because I would have never made the decision if I thought I wasn't prepared for the (pro) game."

Malone added that leaving school early isn't necessarily tragic if the person is prepared for the challenges ahead.

"I think if a young guy makes the decision to come to the pros, they should prepare themselves," Malone said from his residence in San Antonio between NBA playoff games.

Chicago's Farragut High School basketball star Kevin Garnett is trying to make the jump from high

school to the pros by making himself eligible for the NBA draft set to take place on June 28.

Garnett, the top-rated high school player in the country, is expected to become only the fourth player to make the move from preps to the pros. Malone offered this advice for him and the slew of college sophomores and juniors making the jump to the pro game.

"Be ready for the let down and be ready for the ups, because you can come to this game and fall right on your face or you can come to this game and go straight to the top," Malone noted.

Darryl Dawkins and Bill Willoughby were the others to turn pro out of high school. Dawkins was a star for several years with the Philadelphia 76ers, while Willoughby was a role player who found a home with the Houston Rockets, but primarily bounced from one NBA team to another.

Despite the financial success of Malone, Dawkins and Willoughby, numerous critics proclaim students' dropping out of school early is a bad idea, believing it sets them up for a downfall later in life.

Willoughby is a good example. He says he was ripped off when he was a player and he was virtually wiped out financially upon the conclusion of his seven-year pro career.

Proponents of education argue it's difficult for a player to be taken advantage of when he is educated and mature.

Garnett, a 6-11, 214-pounder out of powerhouse Farragut in Chicago, made news May 15 when he officially announced he made himself eligible for the NBA draft. But he did not rule out college.

And in a news conference in Chicago, he told reporters, that if his SAT scores are better, he will try to go to college.

If he changes his mind and opts for college, he would need NCAA approval in order to play ball.

Published interviews with NBA agents and general managers estimate that Garnett would be a first-round draft pick.

Nevertheless, the exodus to the NBA doesn't end or begin with Garnett. University of Arkansas star juniors Corliss Williamson and Scotty Thurman both are getting out of school early.

The players' coach, Nolan Richardson, doesn't generally condone dropping out to play in the pros, but he expressed understanding about their decisions to leave.

"We go to school to get better educated. We are supposed to get better jobs. I can't think of any better job than where (they're) going," Richardson said during a news conference in Fayetteville, AR.

Chicago Bulls star guard B.J. Armstrong, who played all four years at the University of Iowa had this response to dropping out:

"Obviously education is important. You try to educate yourself to make that decision possible," Armstrong told JET, prior to a Bulls playoff game in the United Center. "The more educated you are, the better off you are at making that decision."

Armstrong, who graduated from Iowa with a communications degree, added he didn't want to knock players who leave school early.

We're talking about money. The facts and figures we're talking about can alter your entire life... It's not about education, it's about business.

You don't get the opportunity to make a million dollars every day... My situation was different," Armstrong continued. "The educational experience for me was great. There was no pressure for me to come out early because of my family (needing money).