David Gardner The Case For Getting Schooled Summary

Being a professional athlete in any sport is something that takes hard work and dedication. The National Basketball League is the home to hundreds of players that have come from high school, college, and even from across the world. In recent years, there has been a big debate on whether these players should go to college or not before going into the NBA. In the article, “The Case for Getting Schooled”, David Gardner says that all of these players should attend college before starting their careers in the National Basketball Association. Gardner’s claim that basketball players should first go to college is flawed because a player might be good enough already to go into the NBA right away, players will play with better talent in the NBA, and

This view is flawed because if a player already has a good skill set, then that player is able to grow in the NBA. If a player wants to grow in all his skills, then there is no better way than doing it at the highest level of basketball. Ken Shropshire says in his journal, “So You Want To Be A Millionaire While You Go To College”, “Many athletes opt out of college to go to the league right away” (57). There are dozens of players that have chosen to go into the NBA instead of going to college. Players such as: Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady are just some examples of players that did not go to college, yet are still considered some of the most elite players to ever play the game of basketball. Ken Shropshire states in his journal that,” A select few manage to continue their education after signing pro contracts at an early age” (57). Kobe Bryant is just one example of this. Kobe went to University of California in Los Angeles to continue his education even when he was playing professional basketball (Shropshire). If a player is good enough, then he should go to the NBA right

Brandon Jennings, who was a top prospect in 2008 decided to go over to Europe instead of going to a college in the U.S (Shropshire). Playing overseas can turn out to be a gigantic success for most players. Playing well overseas means a better chance to get noticed. Gardner states that, “ The NCAA still remains the clearest path to the NBA” (Shropshire). This claim is just Gardner’s opinion. Most players nowadays either go to college for a year, and then drop out or they come from overseas. Playing overseas means having no distractions. There is no school involved, so there are not going to be as many distractions as there would be in a college or university. Most players do not even need to go overseas because some players are not from the U.S. In the article, “Early Entry in the NBA Draft”, it says that,” From 1998 to 2004, 74% of the first-round draft picks were early or foreign entrants”(223-43). This means either they did not go to college or they came from elsewhere. In the same article, it says, (talking about last years draft) “14 foreign-born players were selected in the first round” (223-43). In this day and age, the NBA is changing. The NCAA is not the clearest path any