Does the NBA Age Limit Violate Age Discrimination Laws?

New York labor and employment attorney Louis Pechman of Berke-Weiss & Pechman has a very interesting analysis on the possibility of the NBA's age limit violating age discrimination laws. Here is an excerpt from his piece:

Surprisingly lost in the discussion about whether age limits are appropriate for the NBA draft is the fact that many state laws prohibit employment discrimination against individuals who are eighteen or over. As playing in the NBA is employment -- albeit a dream job -- eighteen year olds are deprived of their potential employment and are thus victims of age discrimination. In New York, for example, the New York State Human Rights Law prohibits employers from refusing to hire or employ an “individual eighteen years of age or older… because of such individual’s age.” The NBA, and its players’ union, are subject to compliance with all New York employment laws, as well as other state laws which prohibit discrimination based on age.

For the rest, click here. For a post from earlier today on U.S. Congressman Steve Cohen's request that the age limit be lowered back to its old 18 year old mark, click here.