The NBA Draft: A history of player exploitation

Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty ImagesNote: Abe wrote this piece with the help of Terry Ford, University of Houston law student.

Of the many positions NBA superstar/professional contrarian Kyrie Irving has taken, one of the most egregious, in the view of longtime NBA reporter Jackie MacMullen, was his take on the NBA Draft. On Ryen Rusillo’s podcast in January of 2021, MacMullen recounted a conversation she had once with Kyrie in which he expressed he believed the NBA Draft should be abolished, and rookies should be able to play wherever they choose. MacMullen recoiled at this suggestion, as did many who simply accept drafts in sports as ways for leagues to organize themselves and promote…