Cooper Flagg American basketball player Cooper Flagg playing for Duke University during March Madness, March 29, 2025. (more) The One-and-Done Era of NBA Basketball Since 2006 the best hoops prospects have spent one year in college before turning pro Written by Laura Payne Laura Payne is a freelance writer whose work covers many topics. She is a former Wayne State University linguistics instructor. Laura PayneAll Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Apr. 24, 2026 •History Beginning with the 2006 draft, the NBA instituted a new requirement: players would be eligible to be drafted into the world’s premier basketball league only if they met two criteria: (1) at least one year had elapsed since the player graduated from high school and (2) the player turned 19 in the year of the draft. As a result, many of the best players began spending just one year in college before turning pro. This...

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