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When Kevin Garnett shocked the world by announcing that he would not be attending college-as young basketball prodigies were expected to do-but instead enter the 1995 NBA draft directly from high school, he blazed a trail for a generation of teenage basketball players to head straight for the pros. That trend would continue until the NBA instituted an age limit in 2005, requiring all players to attend college or another developmental program for at least one year. Over that decade-plus period, the list of players who made that difficult leap includes some of the most celebrated players of the modern era-Garnett, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Tracy McGrady, and numerous others. It also includes notable "busts" who either physically or mentally proved unable to handle the transition.



About the Author

Jonathan Abrams

JONATHAN ABRAMS is an award-winning journalist who writes for Bleacher Report. He is the author of the New York Times bestselling Boys Among Men. He was previously a staff writer at Grantland, the Los Angeles Times, and the New York Times and is a graduate of the University of Southern California.Follow Jonathan on Twitter @jpdabramsAuthor photograph by Nicola Borland



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