Why College is good for the NBA (and society in general)

To all those thinking it is unfair for the NBA to require a minimum of one year of college before becoming eligible for employment (it is a business, after all), I have this short section from Jack McCallum’s wonderful book, Seven Seconds or Less: My Season on the Bench with the Runnin’ and Gunnin’ Phoenix Suns:

One day [Amare] Stoudemire came in wearing that Rolling Stones T-shirt bearing the image of a cartoon figure sticking out his tongue, the cover of Sticky Fingers.

“Now, STAT [Stand Tall and Talented, one of Stoudemire's nicknames], tell me,” says [assistant coach Alvin] Gentry, “can you name one single Rolling Stones song?”

“Can’t help you, Chief,” said Stoudemire immediately.

On another day, he was wearing a T-shirt bearing the likeness of a 1930s Time cover on which Al Copone appeared.

“What’s with you and Capone?” I ask him.

“Don’t know anything about him,” Stoudemire answers, “except that he was a bad guy.”

I gave him a one-minute primer on Capone, Chicago, and Prohibition.

“Damn,” he said. “There was a time drinking was illegal?”

I rest my case.