Is the NBA draft a blessing or curse for high school baller C.J. Miles?

Summer Wanderings 2005:
Parental Guidance Suggested: Why Do Black Parents Sell Their Children to the NBA?

By Toronto Jones
SeeingBlack.com Contributing Writer

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While muddling through the sports section of the Dallas Morning News, I couldn't help but laugh as I noticed the very colorful picture on the front of the sports section. It was the day after the NBA draft, and everyone had showed up at the home of C.J. Miles to cheer him on in the event that he was selected. Mr. Miles is a McDonalds All-American and highly touted high school athlete. He had already made a commitment to go to the University of Texas but, on the advice of his parents, he decided to throw his hat into the ring of potential draftees. The sporting "experts" predicted that he would be a late first rounder or early second round selection. A first round selection would have put the young man in the millionaires club with a guaranteed contract under his belt, but slipping in the second round would guarantee him at least the NBA minimum of $400,000 but no assurance of a guaranteed contract.

This stereotypical image plastered on the front page of the sports section was ghetto life at its fullest. It included several family members and local homeboys in a crowded little house looking at a small television in the living room. The guest of honor was sitting on a colorful but war torn sofa with his mother as they waited for his name to be called. After his name was called, in the second round as predicted by the experts, the high school phenom had a decision to make: to go to college and get a degree, while simultaneously building his body and game to NBA levels, or try to get the Utah Jazz to agree to at least a two year guaranteed contract.

I turned to the inside of the paper and read the article that accompanied the photo. It focused on the young man's father saying that he would do what is in the best interest of his son. However, this whole scenario poses an interesting question: Are parents doing what is in the best interest of their kids by egging them on to seek NBA millions, or are they looking out for their own needs? Is it possible that the parents of these phenoms are no different then Gary Coleman's parents? I remember last year, Sebastian Telfair, another highly regarded high school player said this after he declared for the draft in 2004: "I will be entering the NBA Draft. It was a long process. I think it was the best thing for me and my family." In his case, he didn't even make a ripple in a market saturated with other under achieving high school athletes. For every Kobe Bryant and Amare Stoudamire, there are 20 Corleone Young's (also a second round selection) waiting in the wings of despair.

I grew up in a low-income African American suburb of Long Island, N.Y. From house to house, multiple family members talked about hitting the lotto and getting rich quick. This mentality is primarily due to the fact that in the African American household (generally speaking), there is not much acquired wealth, or passed down inheritance. In fact, most African American households start off from scratch for the most part. In most low income neighborhoods, the focus isn't on saving, interest compounded on CD's, investments, real estate, etc. Unfortunately, the pattern is to become a life-long consumer, and living for now instead of later. The role models they look up to are NBA players who are living large, and hip-hop artists acting as though they are living large.

It is up to parents to talk to children about the benefits of going to college. They should talk about the long-term financial benefits, the social aspects of college life, as well as the positive impression that a college student can have on other family members who are not high school prep stars. Parents need to promote the fact that college is a key element in the success of the Black community.

It is true that maybe some of these kids should get a stipend while in college. Not because they are hotshot jocks but because, on the college level, coaches, the colleges themselves and even media conglomerates are getting paid from pimping these kids on ABC, ESPN, CBS etc. Part of the problem is the Black parent. Lets face it; White high school prep athletes aren't busting the barn down to get into the NBA. Generally, it is a given that they will go to college first before entertaining the possibility of the professional basketball realm. Unfortunately, our youth have the pressures of NBA scouts, memorabilia fanatics, parents and other relatives saying stuff to them like, "you know, mama always wanted that candy apple red Mercedes-Benz." Or, "Me and your mama have been working hard to support you and you brothers and sisters, so take the money."

It's pathetic and I can't wait for the day that Black parents stop selling their kids to the NBA.

— September 2, 2005

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