I would have to take a good long look at the average length someone plays in the NBA as a player before I give up a scholarship which would provide a better guarantee for my future than the gamble to become a NBA star.
I hate when people say stupid stuff like this. I understand the thought process, but I can tell you as a college graduate, the 12th man on an NBA roster still makes more than I do. Guys who play in Europe make a lot more than your average college graduate. IF basketball doesn't work out, he can always go back to school. A college scholarship is worth usually $10k -$20k a year. Nearly all of the guys coming out early will make triple that or more even if they do not make the NBA, because they will get a shot to play internationally or in the D league, and make more money. Most pro teams will also pay for a player to attend class, if they so desire, so they would still get their "scholarship."
The only question for an aspiring pro player is "will my draft stock improve next year." IF it won't, then there is no reason to stay. It gets you another year of earning real money if you leave earlier, and cannot put yourself in a better position by staying. . Now with that said, many of the guys who declared could probably improve their draft stock by staying, but getting a degree is not the primary reason. The tired cliche of "a degree is a better guarantee of future success" is such bullshit, and nowhere close to being true. You guys act like once you leave school, you can never go back, and it's simply not true. If you think you can make it as a pro ball player, max out your skills at college, take full advantage of the time you have as far as collecting credits, but make your move to the pros at the optimal time. If you get a degree then, great, but if not, you can get it don the line, since a degree will not help you get a job playing basketball.
Now, to be clear, I do believe a degree to be very importnnt, just since a professional basketball contract at most any level is a six figure income at least, I don't think it is a "better guarantee" of future success.
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