About a week or so ago, I posted a response from Jermaine O’Neal’ s take on the controversial issue of age restrictions in the NBA. This week, former NBA star Spud Webb gives his take:
Sphere: Related ContentO’Neal needs to remember that life wasn’t always a box of chocolates for the former South Carolina Mr. Basketball.
In fact, O’Neal should be Exhibit A for Commissioner David Stern’s proposal to allow any NBA player to be at least 20 before coming into the league.
As a graduate of Eau Claire High School, O’Neal was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers in 1996 and was expected to follow in the footsteps of Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant, both of whom made an immediate impact in the league. But instead, O’Neal rode the pine in Portland, playing less than 13 minutes in each of his first four years. His best scoring average during that span? A measly 4.5 points.
He was depressed and despondent because he wasn’t having fun running the floor. At one point he griped that he should have gone to college, noting that the NBA was tough.
Jermaine, that’s exactly the point.
Sure, you’re a solid player today, but back then you were a…more
