"WHY THE HELL do those young ladies have to stay in school for 4 years" - LeBron James expresses bewilderment at stringent women's NCAA basketball rules

LeBron James spent part of his time on Tuesday watching the WNBA draft. With the LA Lakers’ catastrophic season coming to a merciful end, the four-time MVP continues to recover from nagging injuries while surveying the basketball scene.

Unlike the NBA, whose minimum draft eligibility is 19 years old, the WNBA requires draftees to be at least 22. The rule has been hotly debated over the past few years and will likely be a fierce topic moving forward.

James recently gave his two cents on the issue:

“I’m sitting here after watching the WNBA draft the other day and wondering WHY THE HELL do those young ladies have to stay in school for 4 years before being able to go pro??!!! I’m CONFUSED”

The LA Lakers’ franchise player is, of course, one of the best players to come out of high school to the pro league.

"The Chosen One" was 19 when the Cleveland Cavaliers made him the first overall pick of the 2003 draft. Needless to say, he sees no reason why women basketball players can’t follow in his footsteps.

Over the years, the NBA has seen several prep-to-pro players who have become stars. Moses Malone was the best-known case in the 70s before Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, James, and Amare Stoudemire rose to stardom.

Rhyne Howard, NaLyssa Smith, and Shakira Austin were the top three picks in Tuesday’s WNBA Draft. It could be argued that several draftees of the 2022 class could have been playing pro ball had regulations allowed them to go pro earlier.

The WNBA’s CBA still has a few more seasons to go before it can be changed. Any changes will only take effect after the 2026 season.

LeBron James and others who are pushing for a lower age limit will have to wait at least four more years to see any modifications.

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LeBron James will reportedly not sign a contract extension with the LA Lakers to keep his options open

LeBron James will reportedly decline any LA Lakers contract extension offer to keep his options flexible.

The LA Lakers’ long list of uncertainties heading into their summer just got a lot more worrying. LeBron James, per The Athletic report, is mulling his decision about his LA tenure. He’s going to keep everything flexible, which supposedly includes not signing an obvious contract extension.

Over everything else, keeping the 18x All-Star would be the front office’s most pressing and crucial need.

Despite going into his 20th season, the four-time champion is still showing that he’s an elite player. He could have won the scoring title this year and would have been in the MVP conversation had the Lakers performed significantly better.

The LA Lakers’ need to put up a quality roster has become even more critical. A repeat of what happened this season could also mean "The King's" last year wearing purple and gold.