What NBA Players Skipped College and Went Straight to the Pros?

Find out which NBA players decided to forgo college and go straight to the pros! We’ve got the complete list, plus some thoughts on their decision.

NBA Players Who Skipped College

Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant was drafted out of high school by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th pick in the 1996 NBA draft. He was then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, with whom he played his entire 20-year career. During his time with the Lakers, Bryant won five NBA championships, was an 18-time All-Star, and a 15-time member of the All-NBA Team. He also led the league in scoring twice, and won the Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) in 2008.

LeBron James

LeBron James is one of the most successful NBA players of all time. He was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers straight out of high school in 2003 and has since gone on to win three NBA championships, four MVP awards, and three Finals MVP awards. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest players in basketball history.

Kevin Garnett

Kevin Garnett was drafted 5th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 1995 NBA Draft out of high school. He is a 15-time NBA All-Star, a former MVP, and a champion, winning his lone title with the Boston Celtics in 2008. Kevin Garnett is one of the greatest players of his generation and considered one of the best power forwards of all time.

NBA Players Who Went to College

Many NBA players have decided to forego college and go straight to the pros, but there are still some players who choose to get their degree before beginning their professional career. Some players feel that they need to get their degree in order to have something to fall back on in case their career doesn’t work out. Others believe that they can learn everything they need to know about basketball by playing against professionals.

Carmelo Anthony

Carmelo Kyam Anthony (born May 29, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. He has played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Houston Rockets. While in college, he led Syracuse to their first NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship in 2003. Anthony then entered the 2003 NBA draft where he was selected with the third overall pick by the Nuggets. Since entering the NBA, Anthony has been named an All-Star ten times and an All-NBA Team member six times. He won an NBA scoring title in 2013, and led the NBA in field goals made five times. At Syracuse, Anthony was named co-Big East Player of the Year and NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player en route to being selected as the No. 3 pick by the Nuggets in 2003. He went on to earn Rookie of the Year honors after scoring 21.0 points per game his rookie season, becoming just the third freshman in league history to average over 20 points per game.

Chris Paul

Chris Paul, who was born on May 6, 1985, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has won numerous awards, including nine NBA All-Star appearances, four All-Star Game MVPs, two Olympic gold medals, and the Rookie of the Year Award. He is also a nine-time member of the All-NBA Team and led the league in assists three times.

Paul played college basketball for two years at Wake Forest University before being selected fourth overall in the 2005 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Hornets. He was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2011 but was traded back to the Hornets just six days later. In 2012, he was traded to the Clippers and helped lead them to nine consecutive playoff appearances. He was traded to the Rockets in 2017.

Dwyane Wade

Dwyane Wade is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Marquette Golden Eagles and was drafted fifth overall in the 2003 NBA draft by the Miami Heat. In his third season, Wade led the Heat to their first NBA Championship in franchise history and was named the 2006 NBA Finals MVP. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Wade helped lead Team USA to a gold medal victory over Spain, scoring a team-high 27 points in the final game. In the 2008–09 season, he led the NBA in scoring and earned his first NBA scoring title. With LeBron James and Chris Bosh, Wade helped guide Miami to four consecutive NBA Finals from 2011 to 2014. He was awarded All-Star game MVP honors three times, was named to eight All-NBA teams and eight All-Defensive teams.

Why NBA Players Skip College

It’s becoming more and more common for young NBA players to bypass college and go straight to the pros. There are a few reasons why this trend is happening. First, college basketball is not as competitive as the NBA. Secondly, the NBA has a shorter season than college basketball, so players can make more money in a shorter amount of time. Finally, young players who go to the NBA straight out of high school can get an early start on their careers.

To Focus on Basketball

The main reason that NBA players choose to forego college is to focus on basketball. Players who have the talent to play at the collegiate level but opt not to usually do so because they want to prepare for the NBA draft and don’t feel that they need the extra year or two of development that college would provide.

Other reasons that NBA players might choose not to attend college include wanting to support their families financially, not being academically eligible for NCAA competition, or simply not being interested in going to school. In recent years, an increasing number of players have been drafted straight out of high school, which has led to a debate over whether or not this is a good thing for the sport.

To Make More Money

In order to understand why NBA players would want to skip college, one must understand the history of the NBA and how it has changed over time.

The National Basketball Association was founded in 1949. At that time, the average player salary was less than $5,000 per year and the best players in the league were making around $20,000 per year. In comparison, today’s average player salary is more than $7 million per year and the highest-paid player in the league is making over $30 million per year.

In addition to salaries increasing dramatically, the NBA has also implemented a rookie pay scale that gives players drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft guaranteed salaries for their first two years in the league. After their rookie contract expires, players are then eligible for a maximum contract worth millions of dollars more.

With all of this taken into consideration, it’s easy to see why many young men believe that their best chance of cashing in on their basketball talents is to bypass college and go directly into the NBA.

Because They’re Good Enough

The simple answer to this question is that these players are good enough to go directly to the pros. While there are many upsides to going to college and playing basketball at that level, the reality is that some players are just too good for college. They’re better than everyone else, and they know it.

Going to college can also be a risk for some players. If they get injured while in college, their stock as a professional player could plummet. So, for some of the very best players in the country, it simply makes more sense to go straight to the NBA.