A Florida student enters the NBA draft despite never playing basketball as he uncovers a loophole… and will be at the event in New York on Thursday night with Victor Wembanyama!
- Jordan Haber documented his journey to the NBA Draft on social media
- “Unknowns” have made the best of NBA rules in previous drafts
- offers the latest international sports news
A Florida law student claims he entered the NBA draft despite never having played basketball seriously in his life after discovering a loophole in the union contract.
Jordan Haber, 21, has posted evidence of correspondence with the NBA on his TikTok and YouTube backing his incredible claims and has vowed to document the experience on his social media.
He will be at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, but according to the Associated Press, he has tickets from the NBA’s social media team and not an official invitation that the likes of Victor Wembanyama will receive.
In the only video posted to his YouTube channel so far – on May 28 – Haber says, “I found the key.” Page 237 (it’s actually page 273), section one – the player is, or at least will be be 19 years old. Check over.
“The player graduated from four-year college and is no longer eligible to play – check.” The player completed a four-year college degree in the United States. Check over.
Florida law student Jordan Haber has uncovered a gap in the NBA to enter the draft on Thursday
Haber shared screenshots of the NBA on his YouTube channel confirming his involvement
Haber is a fan of the Miami Heat but has never played basketball seriously
“No one can qualify for more than one draft, so you only get one chance in your lifetime to do that.”
Haber then posted a screenshot of an email he claimed came from the NBA. In it, he was informed that his name was on the list of draft players that was sent out to all teams.
While he hasn’t posted another update on his YouTube channel since May, he has posted a number of video updates on TikTok.
“It was super fun, crazy,” he said on his TikTok on Wednesday night. “Part 2 on YouTube should be available soon, draft day is tomorrow.” It was very, very crazy for me, I slept very little.
“Whatever happens tomorrow, happens.” I’m so grateful for this opportunity. Anyone could do it.’
On his Instagram, Haber shared a picture of MLB headquarters in New York, proving he really is in the Big Apple for Thursday night’s big event in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center.
Haber grew up a fan of the Miami Heat and said on his YouTube channel that his fondest childhood memories were of playing basketball with his father.
However, Haber is not the only one who makes optimal use of the rules. He is one of 18 people who are officially “draft-eligible” and are on the NBA’s so-called B-list – “unknown persons”.
Haber shared a picture from New York on Instagram and will be at the draft in Brooklyn on Thursday
Victor Wembanyama is the absolute number 1 pick on Thursday and is causing a great deal of excitement around him
Although Haber has said it’s a loophole, the rule has actually been around for years and others have used it in the past.
The first known person to apply was a player named Reinhard Schmuck, who played nine games in one season at Baruch College Division III. Two years later, he attempted to break into the NBA, telling The Washington Post in 1987 that he did so to raise awareness of Baruch’s athletic programs.
“I’m really a nobody,” the newspaper quoted Schmuck as saying. “I wanted to do it because there are so many kids who give up on their dreams.”
There is no official figure, but it is believed to be in the hundreds. Author Jeff Pearlman did it as a student in Delaware in 1993; In an article he wrote for Sports Illustrated a few years later, Pearlman revealed that the NBA called to say, “No one here has heard from you.”
In 2008, a student at Washington University in St. Louis named Zachary Feinstein tried to get into the NBA and described the successes on a website.