Korea's tallest basketball player Ha Seung-jin is leaving for the United States today to test his NBA potential at the invitation of a highly-reputed sports marketing agency. Towering in at 220 cm, the 17-year-old high school student will join a weeklong workout session hosted by SFX Sports Group and explore the option of entering the NBA draft while displaying his skills against other invited U.S. players. High-ranking delegates from SFX came to Korea in late January to watch Ha play, who still has one more year before graduation, and expressed keen interest in him as the next Asian sensation after Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets. Accompanying the NBA hopeful is his manager, who is also his father, Ha Dong-ki. The senior Ha played center on the Korean national basketball team in the 1970s at 202 cm tall. "I was informed that in addition to SFX officials, scouts from many NBA teams will be present to observe Seung-jin's ability on court," said Ha's father. "I am confident of my son's potential, but my worry is that he has not fully recovered from his knee injury." Even if Ha were to sign a management contract with SFX during this trip, he won't be eligible for the draft until the 2004-2005 season given the NBA's minimum age requirement of 18 years old. Last year, Ha led his team at Samil Commerce High School in Suwon to a sweep of four championship titles and 22 consecutive victories. SFX Sports Group represents over 500 of the world's elite professional athletes in baseball, basketball, football, golf, tennis and soccer. Some of its clients include Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez, Andre Agassi, and Greg Norman. (khjack@koreaherald.co.kr) By Choe Yong-shik Staff reporter http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2003/03/11/200303110042.asp
Jin is going to have to wait until the 2006-2007 draft. Starting 2004, NBA is going to put a minimum age requirment of 20 years of all draftees.
This is now twice you are giving out false information. According to my research, this is far from a done deal and from what I have read, has a good chance of not happening at all.
codell is right. There is no way the Player's Union will let this rule go through. Its in the theory stage right now, just hot air from the mouth of Sir Stern.
Actually, it would help the current members of the NBAPA as far as job security goes. There are too many Alton Ford-types who warm the bench, when a 30-35 year old vet is jobless, because a team would rather go with the cheaper, younger 12th man.
Kidrock8, I don't think that's true. Can you tell me how many under-20yr nba players this year are end of the bench players? i can't think of one.
220 centimeters? That only 7'2". What kind of collossus is that? You have to be at least 7'5" now to qualify as one.
qyntel woods is 22 and is a 12th man. deshawn stevenson is 21 and was in sloan's doghouse but has gotten good playing time recently. for a couple month, kwame brown couldn't get off the bench either.
oh i can list some guys. even jermaine o'neal was 12th man on portland for a few years. but currently, jonathan bender comes to mind. dasagana diop. ousmane cisse? i can't remember how to spell his name. there have been as many high school kids to come out and fail as there have been that came out and succeed. not to mention all the freshmen who come out and never make it past 12th man. but right now 10 year vets get a minimum of 1 million dollars a year where as a young player doesn't even get half that, so economically it just doesn't make sense to have that veteran 12th man right now.
true but none of these players are under 20 this year so they would be in the league anyways if they wanted. the rule would only limit those under 20 from entering the league. I don't think there is one player this year at the end of the bench who would be effected by this rule. In past years there might have been one or two like the ones mentioned but it's not like these guys are taking up a lot of spots like kidrock8 assumed
this ha seung-jin is going to get dissed when he plays bad by opposing teams newspapers. i can see the headlines already, HA HA. this under 20 rule might end up helping him develop his game further until he's a polished player. who knows maybe with this rule, he'll decide to play for the korean national team and develop his playing experience there against international competition. better that than destroying the kid's confidence right away by being pushed into the nba and looking like a bust.
Kids coming into the league aren't neccessarily going to have a longer career, in fact they are more likely to burn out quickly. They end up with 3 or 4 years of a suck career before they grow into a role player or become a superstar, and very few are continuing to be superstars.
