Originally, the NBA required you to be at least four years graduated from high school in order to be eligible for the NBA draft. This changed in 1972 when Spencer Haywood, a basketball player who was in the midst of losing his status as a professional basketball player when the supreme court made a 7-2 decision in Haywood’s favor and granted “hardship cases” to players in financial need and allowed them to leave college early and to be eligible for the NBA draft. (US Supreme Court) Haywood’s case made it possible for future hall of fame NBA players like Kevin Garnett, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James to make way into the NBA and become legends. These players were drafted straight out of high school and took the NBA by storm. If they had decided to go onto college and play for a year or two or three before joining the NBA, who’s to say they would be as successful? Who’s to say they were to grow as athletes and as individuals as much as they did with the decision they made? If anything they grew more rapidly being around only adults right after high school compared to the college boys that are surrounded by only kids for the couple years they spend in college. Hardship cases were granted to basically anyone with the talent. If the NBA saw that you fit, they would grant you a hardship case because it was that easy. It was a beautiful time period to see so many young kids train day and night to be in the NBA and to see such talent blossom from that hunger, it
