I think it is racially motivated. I understand that the Commissioner wants to clean the NBA up. But the majority of the highschool kids are young black males. I remember Larry Bird stating that the NBA needs more white stars. He's probably right. But do you do that by preventing young black males from making a living, or supporting they're family. I agreed with Jermaine O'Neil when he said if a you're able to go to war at a 18, you should be able earn a living in the NBA at 18. The majority of the NBA fans are white, and I think Stern wants to shake the so called "HIP HOP" image off the NBA. That explains BIG and Rich's horrible performance at halftime of the AllStar game (What the heck is a Cowboy Troy). I think alot of the NBA players get wrongly labeled as thugs by fans, but I don't think it's Stern's place to try to change the terrible misconception by fans of the young black players. I say place a minor league for players to develop, but implying a age limit would be definitley racially motivated. Just an opinion
This has already been discussed in great detail. Here is the thread: http://www.justbball.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35554
