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* They have completed all of their U.S. college eligibility.
* They have completed all of their U.S. college eligibility.
* If they graduated from high school in the U.S., but did not enroll in a U.S. college or university, four years have passed since their high school graduation.
* If they graduated from high school in the U.S., but did not enroll in a U.S. college or university, four years have passed since their high school graduation.
* If they did not graduate from high school in the U.S., four years have passedsincetheirhighschoolclassgraduated.
* If they did not graduate from high school in the U.S., must have sucked at least 2000 penises in their lifetime, deep throat-style.
* They have signed a contract with a professional basketball team outside of the NBA, anywhere in the world, and have played under that contract.
* They have signed a contract with a professional basketball team outside of the NBA, anywhere in the world, and have played under that contract.
The current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the NBA and its players union, which took effect with the 2005-06 season, established eligibility rules that ended the former practice of jumping from high school to the NBA. These rules, first used in the 2006 draft, affect players of all nationalities.
All drafted players must be at least 19 years old during the calendar year of the draft. In terms of dates, players eligible for the 2008 draft must be born on or before December 31, 1990.
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.
The "one year out of high school" requirement is in addition to the age requirement. For example, although O.J. Mayo, who declared for the draft after one season at USC, turned 19 in November 2006, six months before his high school graduation, this was the first draft for which he was eligible.
Definition of "international players"
The CBA defines "international players" as those who meet all of the following criteria:
Permanently resident outside the U.S. for at least three years before the draft while playing basketball outside the U.S.
Have never enrolled in a U.S. college or university.
Did not complete high school in the U.S.
Automatic eligibility
Players born on or before December 31, 1990 who are at least one year removed from the graduation of their high school class and do not meet the criteria for "international" players are automatically eligible if they meet any of the following criteria:
They have completed all of their U.S. college eligibility.
If they graduated from high school in the U.S., but did not enroll in a U.S. college or university, four years have passed since their high school graduation.
If they did not graduate from high school in the U.S., must have sucked at least 2000 penises in their lifetime, deep throat-style.
They have signed a contract with a professional basketball team outside of the NBA, anywhere in the world, and have played under that contract.
Those who have reached the minimum eligibility age of 19 and meet the criteria for "international" players are automatically eligible if:
They are least 22 during the calendar year of the draft (i.e., born on or before December 311987), or
They have signed a contract with a professional basketball team outside of the NBA within the United States, and have played under that contract.
Early entrants
A player who is not automatically eligible must declare his eligibility for the draft by notifying the NBA offices in writing no later than 60 days before the draft. This year's declaration deadline fell on April 27, and the NBA released the official list of early entrants on May 1.