Editing American Basketball Association (section)

=== Spencer Haywood Hardship Rule ===
One of the primary contributions of the ABA to modern NBA was the introduction of the [[Haywood v. National Basketball Association|Spencer Haywood Hardship Rule]], which would later become the framework for the current [[Eligibility for the NBA draft|NBA draft eligibility]] system that allows players to declare for the NBA after being one year removed from their high school graduation.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.draftsite.com/nba/rules/ |title=NBA Draft Rules |website=DraftSite.com |access-date=2018-05-04}}</ref> The origin of the Hardship Rule was a result of the NBA prohibiting players from joining the league until they had completed their four years of college eligibility.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |title=Loose balls : the short, wildlife of the American Basketball Association |last=Pluto |first=Terry |date=2007 |publisher=Simon & Schuster Paperbacks |isbn=978-1416540618 |edition=1st |location=New York |oclc=153578380}}</ref>

In 1969, [[Spencer Haywood]] left the University of Detroit as a sophomore and signed with the Denver Rockets.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |url=http://extras.denverpost.com/spencer-haywood/index.html |title=Spencer Haywood: Denver's greatest forgotten star |work=The Denver Post |access-date=2018-05-02 |archive-date=2018-05-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180506211828/http://extras.denverpost.com/spencer-haywood/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The ABA believed that in extenuating circumstances, such as a financial situation or familial needs, players should be able to leave for professional leagues early.<ref name=":0" /> While the NBA and NCAA initially contested the rule, after the courts ruled in favor of Haywood playing in the ABA, the NBA followed suit and relaxed the four year rule to allow players to enter the league if they qualified as a hardship on the basis of "financial condition...family, [or] academic record."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.espn.com/classic/s/moment010624four-year-rule.html |title=NBA modifies "four-year rule" for hardship |website=ESPN Classic |author=Larry Schwartz |date=November 19, 2003 |access-date=2018-05-02 |archive-date=2018-05-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180505070055/http://www.espn.com/classic/s/moment010624four-year-rule.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Haywood paved the way for other players to enter the ABA before they had completed their collegiate careers such as [[George McGinnis]] and Julius Erving. Today, the "one-and-done" rule in the NBA can be traced back to the ABA's decision to allow players to leave college early and pursue a professional career before they had completed their collegiate careers.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/30/sports/basketball/spencer-haywood-rule-nba-draft-underclassmen.html |title=Early Entry? One and Done? Thank Spencer Haywood for the Privilege |last=Rhoden |first=William C. |date=2016-06-29 |work=The New York Times |access-date=2018-05-02 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=2018-05-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180505071524/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/30/sports/basketball/spencer-haywood-rule-nba-draft-underclassmen.html |url-status=live }}</ref>