Players Staying Smart On and Off the Court

The New York Times - The N.B.A. union began tracking the classroom migration this year. Debbie Rothstein Murman, the director for career development for the union, said the number was much higher than in the past, although she does not have earlier numbers. For elite athletes, who command seven-figure salaries, returning to college is an investment and a hedge against what can be an uncertain future. Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets resumed classes at Wake Forest, and Westbrook’s teammate Kevin Durant continued working toward his degree at Texas. A league rule change in 2006 mandates that players be at least one year removed from high school and at least 19 to be drafted. For many players, that meant attending at least one year of college. The rule stopped the influx of players who entered the league directly from high school. But it might have had an inadvertent consequence: some are attempting to finish what they started.

- First off, I’m glad to see that NBA players are taking the initiative to go back to school. Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Jeff Green are among the few names on that list who took college classes this summer. The New York Times reports that the average annual salary in the NBA is around $5.85 million. We all know that NBA players are not going back to school to increase their pay -instead, the investment would enhance the likelihood of leading a full life. For some players, going back to school will also provide a sense of accomplishment upon getting drafted to the pro’s.

- If the NBA wants its athletes to represent the league on a global scale, the classroom migration could prove especially beneficial in the long run. Let’s not forget that there is life after basketball. For example, you know some players are bound to make the quantum leap from the court to the broadcasting world. I want to take my own page out of Stephen A. Smith’s book: “Quite Frankly, you don’t want to sound like this!”