# NBA high school draftees
**NBA high school draftees** are basketball players selected in the NBA Draft directly out of high school without playing college or professional basketball first. The practice ran in two waves: isolated cases beginning with Reggie Harding in 1962 and including [Darryl Dawkins](https://www.edgepedia.org/darryl-dawkins) in 1975, and a sustained wave from [Kevin Garnett](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-garnett)'s selection in 1995 until the league closed the route after the 2005 draft with an age minimum.[1](https://national-basketball-association.fandom.com/wiki/NBA_high_school_draftees) • [2](https://finalwonder.com/nba-players-drafted-from-high-school/) • [3](https://time.com/3649028/nba-draft-age-limit-kentucky-wildcats-one-and-done/) • [18](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jun-26-sp-14793-story.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First draftee | Reggie Harding was the first player drafted out of high school; Darryl Dawkins, from Maynard Evans High School (Orlando, Florida), was the first drafted after the hardship rule, selected fifth overall in the 1975 NBA Draft[1](https://national-basketball-association.fandom.com/wiki/NBA_high_school_draftees) • [18](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jun-26-sp-14793-story.html) |
| Gap years | After Dawkins and Bill Willoughby went in the 1975 draft, no player followed for 20 years[2](https://finalwonder.com/nba-players-drafted-from-high-school/) |
| Modern wave | 39 high school players drafted from 1995 to 2005, including a record eight first-round picks in 2004[4](https://www.maxpreps.com/news/f7IGRdVkdku-QAXEcvA2BA/none-and-done-ranking-all-39-players-that-made-the-leap-from-high-school-to-the-nba.htm) |
| Outcomes | 31 of the 39 (79.5 percent) played at least 410 NBA games, the equivalent of five seasons; three were No. 1 overall picks; 10 were All-Stars; two never played an NBA game[4](https://www.maxpreps.com/news/f7IGRdVkdku-QAXEcvA2BA/none-and-done-ranking-all-39-players-that-made-the-leap-from-high-school-to-the-nba.htm) |
| Leading successes | LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Garnett, each a league MVP and among the top scorers in NBA history[4](https://www.maxpreps.com/news/f7IGRdVkdku-QAXEcvA2BA/none-and-done-ranking-all-39-players-that-made-the-leap-from-high-school-to-the-nba.htm) |
| Best-known failure | Kwame Brown, the first No. 1 pick straight from high school (2001), averaged 6.6 points per game over 12 seasons[5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/sports/march-madness-one-and-dones/) |
| End of the route | Beginning with the 2006 draft, players had to be 19 years old and a year out of high school to be eligible[3](https://time.com/3649028/nba-draft-age-limit-kentucky-wildcats-one-and-done/) |
## The 1975 pioneers
Darryl Dawkins, a center from Maynard Evans High School in [Orlando, Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/orlando-florida), was the first high school draftee, taken fifth overall in the 1975 NBA Draft by Philadelphia.[1](https://national-basketball-association.fandom.com/wiki/NBA_high_school_draftees) Bill Willoughby made the same jump in the 1975 draft, and after the two of them, nobody else followed for 20 years.[2](https://finalwonder.com/nba-players-drafted-from-high-school/)
The parallel professional league also took teenagers. [Moses Malone](https://www.edgepedia.org/moses-malone) went from high school to the ABA in 1975 and was an immediate success, averaging 18.8 points and 14.6 rebounds per game, and went on to a Hall of Fame career that encouraged later high school hopefuls to skip college for the pros.[6](https://hoopsanalyst.com/schools-out-a-legal-analysis-of-high-schoolers-and-the-nba-draft/)
## The Garnett wave, 1995 to 2005
**Kevin Garnett reopened the door.** After being named a McDonald's All-American and national high school player of the year at Chicago's Farragut Career Academy, Garnett was selected fifth overall by the [Minnesota Timberwolves](https://www.edgepedia.org/minnesota-timberwolves) in the 1995 NBA Draft, the first player to go directly from high school to the NBA in 20 years.[4](https://www.maxpreps.com/news/f7IGRdVkdku-QAXEcvA2BA/none-and-done-ranking-all-39-players-that-made-the-leap-from-high-school-to-the-nba.htm) • [7](https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.ncaa.org/static/champion/the-one-and-done-dilemma/index.html) The choice was contested at the time: the Washington Bullets, picking fourth, passed on Garnett because owner Abe Pollin did not want to draft a high schooler.[8](https://www.si.com/nba/2015/05/19/kevin-garnett-1995-draft-washington-bullets-abe-pollin) Russ Granik, who served as the NBA's deputy commissioner for 22 years, recalled that there had been an assumption the jump was too hard to make until Garnett tried it.[7](https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.ncaa.org/static/champion/the-one-and-done-dilemma/index.html)
Garnett's success drew followers quickly. [Kobe Bryant](https://www.edgepedia.org/kobe-bryant) and [Jermaine O'Neal](https://www.edgepedia.org/jermaine-oneal), along with Taj McDavid, entered the 1996 draft, and [Tracy McGrady](https://www.edgepedia.org/tracy-mcgrady) followed in 1997.[6](https://hoopsanalyst.com/schools-out-a-legal-analysis-of-high-schoolers-and-the-nba-draft/) • [7](https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.ncaa.org/static/champion/the-one-and-done-dilemma/index.html) Bryant, taken 13th by Charlotte and traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, was the first guard to skip college; Garnett, nearly 7 feet tall, had been the previous template.[9](https://time.com/5771924/kobe-bryant-obituary/) By the mid-2000s entire classes of high school seniors were entering, from future franchise players to teenagers who would never play a minute in the league.[2](https://finalwonder.com/nba-players-drafted-from-high-school/) The 2004 draft was the peak of the trend, with eight preps and six foreign players selected in the first round alone.[10](https://www.si.com/nba/2009/09/18/draft-2004) A rule change in 1995 also made the route less risky, allowing players to withdraw from the draft and return to school if they had not signed an agent.[11](https://www.appstate.edu/~perritj/EarlyNBA.pdf)
## Outcomes: a wide spectrum
The 39 players drafted from 1995 to 2005 produced results at both extremes, often within the same draft class.[4](https://www.maxpreps.com/news/f7IGRdVkdku-QAXEcvA2BA/none-and-done-ranking-all-39-players-that-made-the-leap-from-high-school-to-the-nba.htm) • [12](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2016/03/15/in-boys-among-men-jonathan-abrams-looks-back-at-the-jump-from-high-school-to-the-real-world-of-the-nba/) [Longevity](https://www.edgepedia.org/longevity) was common: 31 of the 39, or 79.5 percent, played at least 410 NBA games, the equivalent of five seasons, and 10 became All-Stars.[4](https://www.maxpreps.com/news/f7IGRdVkdku-QAXEcvA2BA/none-and-done-ranking-all-39-players-that-made-the-leap-from-high-school-to-the-nba.htm) At the top, five of the high schoolers taken in the top 10 had more than five All-Star appearances each: Garnett, [LeBron James](https://www.edgepedia.org/lebron-james), Tracy McGrady, Dwight Howard, and [Amar'e Stoudemire](https://www.edgepedia.org/amare-stoudemire), a group that includes some of the best players of the era.[13](https://cleaningtheglass.com/eliminating-the-limit/)
**The successes were historic.** LeBron James, the No. 1 pick in 2003, became a four-time NBA champion, four-time MVP, 21-time All-Star, and the leading scorer in league history with 42,184 career points.[4](https://www.maxpreps.com/news/f7IGRdVkdku-QAXEcvA2BA/none-and-done-ranking-all-39-players-that-made-the-leap-from-high-school-to-the-nba.htm) Kobe Bryant won five championships and scored 33,643 points, fourth all-time at his retirement.[4](https://www.maxpreps.com/news/f7IGRdVkdku-QAXEcvA2BA/none-and-done-ranking-all-39-players-that-made-the-leap-from-high-school-to-the-nba.htm) • [9](https://time.com/5771924/kobe-bryant-obituary/) Garnett won the 2004 MVP and the 2008 championship and made 15 All-Star teams.[4](https://www.maxpreps.com/news/f7IGRdVkdku-QAXEcvA2BA/none-and-done-ranking-all-39-players-that-made-the-leap-from-high-school-to-the-nba.htm)
**The failures were costly for the teams that gambled.** [Kwame Brown](https://www.edgepedia.org/kwame-brown), a McDonald's All-American taken first overall by the [Washington Wizards](https://www.edgepedia.org/washington-wizards) in 2001, was the first No. 1 pick to come straight out of high school and averaged 6.6 points per game over 12 NBA seasons, making him one of the most cited draft busts in league history.[5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/sports/march-madness-one-and-dones/) Jonathan Bender, picked fifth in 1999, later explained the economics of the choice: a player projected in the top five did not want to sacrifice that draft position by going to college, where an injury could cost him everything.[7](https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.ncaa.org/static/champion/the-one-and-done-dilemma/index.html) Knee trouble forced one highly anticipated draftee to step away from basketball at age 25.[7](https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.ncaa.org/static/champion/the-one-and-done-dilemma/index.html) Two of the 39 never played an NBA game at all.[4](https://www.maxpreps.com/news/f7IGRdVkdku-QAXEcvA2BA/none-and-done-ranking-all-39-players-that-made-the-leap-from-high-school-to-the-nba.htm)
## The 2006 age rule and its aftermath
The 2005 Collective Bargaining Agreement imposed an age limit: beginning with the 2006 draft, players had to be 19 years of age and a year out of high school before being eligible for selection.[3](https://time.com/3649028/nba-draft-age-limit-kentucky-wildcats-one-and-done/) Commissioner David Stern changed the rule following the 2005 draft, closing the direct route for preps; [Amir Johnson](https://www.edgepedia.org/amir-johnson), drafted in 2005, was the last high school draftee under the old system.[4](https://www.maxpreps.com/news/f7IGRdVkdku-QAXEcvA2BA/none-and-done-ranking-all-39-players-that-made-the-leap-from-high-school-to-the-nba.htm) • [14](https://basketballnoise.com/what-nba-players-were-drafted-straight-out-of-high-school/)
The rule created the "one-and-done" pattern, in which elite players spend a single season in college before entering the draft. More than 100 players have had a one-and-done season since 2006, and 107 one-and-done players have gone on to become NBA lottery picks after seeing college minutes.[5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/sports/march-madness-one-and-dones/) • [15](https://apnews.com/article/97654993171c88daf7737df46fb541c8) The restriction also drew criticism: a college commission concluded that requiring elite high school players whom the NBA would draft to attend college contributed significantly to the corruption of college basketball.[16](https://www.longwood.edu/media/presidents-office/public-site/board-of-visitors/BOV58WEBV.pdf) Debate over the eligibility rule has continued, with observers noting that the league seems likely to change its rules again and reopen a direct path for high school prospects.[17](https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/03/nba-best-careers-high-school/)
## References
1. [NBA high school draftees, National Basketball Association Wiki (Fandom)](https://national-basketball-association.fandom.com/wiki/NBA_high_school_draftees)
2. [Every NBA Player Drafted Straight From High School, 1975-2005, Final Wonder](https://finalwonder.com/nba-players-drafted-from-high-school/)
3. [How the NBA's Age Limit Helps Colleges But Hurts Players, Time](https://time.com/3649028/nba-draft-age-limit-kentucky-wildcats-one-and-done/)
4. [None and done: Ranking all 39 players that made the leap from high school to the NBA, MaxPreps](https://www.maxpreps.com/news/f7IGRdVkdku-QAXEcvA2BA/none-and-done-ranking-all-39-players-that-made-the-leap-from-high-school-to-the-nba.htm)
5. [Do "one-and-done" teams do well in the tournament?, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/sports/march-madness-one-and-dones/)
6. [School's Out: A Legal Analysis of High Schoolers and the NBA Draft, Hoops Analyst](https://hoopsanalyst.com/schools-out-a-legal-analysis-of-high-schoolers-and-the-nba-draft/)
7. [The One-and-Done Dilemma, NCAA Champion Feature](https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.ncaa.org/static/champion/the-one-and-done-dilemma/index.html)
8. [The Bullets' owner passed on Kevin Garnett because he was in high school, Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/nba/2015/05/19/kevin-garnett-1995-draft-washington-bullets-abe-pollin)
9. [Kobe Bryant Had a Singular Impact on His Game and the World, Time](https://time.com/5771924/kobe-bryant-obituary/)
10. [Howard a rare gem in 2004 draft class that tripped up many a team, Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/nba/2009/09/18/draft-2004)
11. [Declared and Drafted Foreign and Early Entrants in the NBA (1976 to 2004), Journal of Sports Economics](https://www.appstate.edu/~perritj/EarlyNBA.pdf)
12. [Kobe to Kwame: High school to the NBA in Jonathan Abrams's 'Boys Among Men', The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2016/03/15/in-boys-among-men-jonathan-abrams-looks-back-at-the-jump-from-high-school-to-the-real-world-of-the-nba/)
13. [Eliminating the Limit, Cleaning the Glass](https://cleaningtheglass.com/eliminating-the-limit/)
14. [What NBA Players Were Drafted Straight Out Of High School?, Basketball Noise](https://basketballnoise.com/what-nba-players-were-drafted-straight-out-of-high-school/)
15. [Top 1-and-done NBA prospects have made a big impact in the AP Top 25, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/97654993171c88daf7737df46fb541c8)
16. [Realistic Pathways for Student-Athlete Success, Longwood University Board of Visitors](https://www.longwood.edu/media/presidents-office/public-site/board-of-visitors/BOV58WEBV.pdf)
17. [NBA: 30 best careers from players who skipped college, Hoops Habit](https://hoopshabit.com/2021/04/03/nba-best-careers-high-school/)
18. [Early Risers](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jun-26-sp-14793-story.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › NBA and WNBA (North American professional basketball) › NBA draft*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license