John Calipari Says Expanding the NBA Draft Would 'Ruin College Basketball'

Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports

Kentucky coach John Calipari is not a fan of the NBA potentially expanding the draft past its current two-round format.

While addressing reporters at the SEC Tipoff event, Calipari said adding rounds to the draft would only lead to more players being funneled into the G League.

"If anybody supports more rounds in the draft, those more rounds are to get kids to go to the G League, you do not care about college basketball or you're trying to ruin college basketball," he said.

Calipari's comments came after Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said on Tuesday that he thinks the NBA will expand its draft beyond two rounds and believes the developmental G League's popularity will continue to increase.

However, Calipari said he supports college athletes who go straight to the NBA, but he questioned what the future looks like for players who won't advance past the G League.

"After two years they don't perform, what? The NBA is going to take care of them and hire them? No. It's entertainment. You're done," Calipari said. 

Instead, he stressed how he thinks some players should stay in college longer and earn a degree.

"If they're not going to the NBA, if we're really about young people, we should encourage them to go to college," he said. "And the reason is their way out is through education. Their way to break through to the American dream is education."

The NBA has used a two-round draft format since 1989 and added the developmental league in 2001. In 2018, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the league had held internal discussions about potentially expanding the draft.