<P> After Dawkins and Willoughby, no high school player went directly to the NBA for 20 years, although Lloyd Daniels and Shawn Kemp went to the NBA without having played college basketball (both had enrolled in college, but never played). That would change in 1995 with the arrival of future NBA MVP Kevin Garnett, who was selected fifth overall . The following year, another future MVP in Kobe Bryant and a future All - Star in Jermaine O'Neal were first - round picks out of high school . Most years after that saw at least one, and often more, high - schoolers drafted, most notably Tracy McGrady (1997), Kwame Brown (the first high - schooler to be the #1 overall pick, in 2001), Amar'e Stoudemire (2002), LeBron James (#1 in 2003), and Dwight Howard (#1 in 2004). </P> <P> However, the influx of high - schoolers caused considerable controversy . When the NBA and its players union negotiated a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) in 2005, NBA Commissioner David Stern publicly called for a higher age limit of 20, stating that he wanted the league's scouts and general managers out of high school gyms and that too many young urban Americans incorrectly saw the NBA as a sure path to fame and financial security . Most of the players were opposed to an age limit; Jermaine O'Neal was perhaps the most strident critic, accusing the NBA of racism . Ultimately, the union reluctantly agreed to an age limit of 19, accepting it in exchange for tweaks to salary cap rules that were favorable to the players' interests . </P> <P> The current eligibility rules were established under the NBA's 2005 collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which expired in 2011, resulting in a lockout . The new CBA, approved in December 2011, made no changes to the draft rules, but called for the NBA and its players union to form a committee to discuss draft - related issues . The basic rules that started in the 2006 draft are: </P> <Ul> <Li> All drafted players must be at least 19 years old during the calendar year of the draft . To determine whether a player is eligible for a given year's draft, subtract 19 from the year of the draft . If the player was born during or before that year, he is eligible . </Li> <Li> Any player who is not an "international player", as defined in the CBA, must be at least one year removed from the graduation of his high school class . </Li> </Ul>

When did the nba make players go to college