I think it is great that NBA players are taking classes during the summer when they have a "vacation" break in their schedule. It is important for any athlete to have some kind of academic degree to their names because not everybody can play sports forever (including Michael Jordan and Brett Favre).

I agree somewhat with the article when it states that many athletes realize the importance of education. However, I do not think that the number of athletes that belive in education is as high as many people think. Once people play in the NBA, in my opinion they tend to become stuck-up and conceited with the money that they are making and they seem to believe that that money will last forever. However, I do not think that is true. Eventually money and happiness will run out. I think it is important that MANY MORE athletes take advantage of a long summer break and go back to classes and take the neccasary classes to graduate with a degree.

I believe it is good for professional athletes to return to school if they leave early. Like it said in the article, many players are broke two years after retiring. That is outrageous to me.

It also helps the college look good on graduation rates when athletes return back to finish up school. This needs to be publicized more often and show the future and present students that it pays to stay in school.

I think this is a great thing that the NBA is doing. A lot of the athletes that are in the NBA only went to school for mostly 1 or 2 years, and while they were there basketball was there main focus. This gives them a chance to go back and get a degree because you never know when your atheltic career can come to an end. This is also something that makes the NBA look better. A lot of the athletes are normally in the papers for getting in trouble, these are the kind of things that should be publicized though.

I think it is awesome that some NBA players are taking classes. You would think they would want to just sit around and relax during the off season. These players are starting to realize that basketball is not everything and having an education is important for after their careers.

Colleges would be happy if the players that left early came back and got degrees to make them look better. I think it is a good idea and will help the schools rep.

I was really happy to see that these basketball players are taking courses in their off season. I think that this will be really beneficial to their career after retirement from playing. This is such a big problem for athletic professions. Sports can only get you so far, then you have to retire at such a young age. With little education and work experience, it will be quite difficult to get a job. I think it's a better idea to take courses while you are still a professional athlete than to go back to school after retirement. Taking courses in the off season will enable the athletes to get a decent job immediately after ending their athletic career.

I think it's great that some of the young NBA players are going back to school or taking classes during the off-season. It's nice to see some of these guys realize that they need to prepare for life after basketball and that they aren't letting multi-million dollar contracts get to their heads. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the players that are continuing their education are doing so due to pressure from their parents.

I would like to see the NBA implement the same draft eligibility rule as the NFL. I think that if they would change it from one year after high school to 3, you would see more players stay and graduate. I don't like the fact that a good young talent can go to college for one year, play basketball and not follow any of the rules. These guys know that they are going to enter the draft and they just don't care about grades or anything.

This is a great article. I was shocked to see that 60% of retired NBA players are broke within 5 years of retiring. It just goes to show how important an education is and that you cannot rely on just your athletic ability. Many young adults just think about making it big and going to the NFL and NBA, but this article shows that it is short lived. Many players sustain injuries and do not play very long, and many players retire in their late 30's early 40's. I think that it's great that NBA players are returing to school. I also think that age requirements by professional teams are excellent, especially the NFL because it ensures that athletes continue their education, and it emphasizes its importance.

I was shocked to hear that over half of the NBA go broke after 5 years. But was not shocked to hear that they go in finish there education. I have heard how athletes have taken classes in the off seasons to finish their education. I also seen in some cases in the NFL after retiring players finishing their education. Even the great hall of famers finished school, and I don't think that they need the extra cash, but still shows that education is important and needs to be taken seriously.