*🏀*Why can't JuJu Watkins enter the WNBA draft early? And even if she could, should she?*🏀*
The age requirement has been included in the league’s collective bargaining agreement since its first deal in 1999 with little challenge. But stars like Watkins are just the first in a wave of players advancing their games faster than ever. The shift in talent could force further examination of the WNBA’s rule.
“If these players are ready and they don’t want to be in school and they want to go pursue [the WNBA], I don’t see why you should hold them back,” said USC assistant coach Chris Koclanes, who spent the previous eight years working for the WNBA's Connecticut Sun and the Sparks. “Give them the option.”
The current CBA runs through 2027, but players could opt out after the 2024 season to begin negotiations early and capitalize on rising attention around the league. Changes would take effect as early as the 2026 season. Watkins would be finishing her junior year at USC.
Allowing younger prospects was on the minds of players during collective bargaining in 2019, but with larger issues such as salaries, travel and family planning benefits, “we just couldn’t get to it,” former Seattle Storm star Sue Bird said on ESPN during the NCAA women’s national championship game.
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