Tyler Trumbauer
Earlier this week it was released that Ben Simmons had some interesting takes on the NCAA and the one-and-done rule, which he voiced in his new Showtime documentary, which is set to air on Friday night.
The president of the NCAA, Mark Emmert, responded to Simmons’ harsh comments, as quoted in the Baton Rouge Advocate, while speaking on the campus of LSU on Thursday.
Emmert put the blame for the one-and-done rule on the NBA.
“I was reading today where someone who played basketball at LSU was very unhappy with the one-and-done rule. That’s not our rule. That’s the NBA’s rule. But (he says) it’s another stupid NCAA rule.”
Emmert actually wants to do away with it.
“The one-and-done rule is something I’ve made no secret about how much I dislike it. It makes a farce of going to school. But if you just want to play in the NBA, you can do that. You can go to Europe or play at a prep school until you’re 19.
“I’d love nothing more than for the NBA to get rid of that rule. We’ve made it really clear to the (NBA) players union and the leadership of the NBA that we very much would like it changed.”
Eliminating it would be something Simmons would back as the Sixer said he “wasted” a year at LSU by going to school.
Simmons also commented on how he did not go to many classes and thought it was silly to go if he wasn’t going to get a degree.
Emmert’s response:
“If someone wants to be a pro basketball player and doesn’t want to go to college, don’t go to college. We don’t put a gun to your head. First and foremost, it’s about being a student at a university. We’re in the human development business.”
Sixers fans hope Simmons develops into an NBA superstar.