Jordan Haber's name will not be called in Thursday's NBA draft. But the simple fact he is among the draft-eligible players this year is a feat in itself, especially considering he has never played basketball.
Haber has never played collegiately. Nor did he play in high school or middle school. But the viral TikToker, Heat fan and soon-to-be student at the Cardozo School of Law (New York) discovered an NBA loophole to circumvent that minor detail and enter his name.
“I made a bet with my friends and I made it to the NBA draft, and if you don't believe me that's the official NBA email, that's my email down there,” Haber said in a May 18 TikTok that showed the purported communication between him and the league.
"This is some of the officially official paperwork I had to fill out that the NBA sent me. I think they're like, 'Who is this kid, why did he find the loophole into actually getting into the draft? Because this is not supposed to happen.' ... I am now Jordan Haber, member of the 2023 NBA Draft class. Soon to be undrafted class."
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Haber's gumption to enter his name to the NBA draft is noteworthy, but not exactly difficult: He simply found an easily sidestepped loophole in the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement to become eligible.
Here's everything you need to know about the rule and how Haber exploited it to enter the draft:
How Jordan Haber became eligible for 2023 NBA Draft
Article X, Section 1 of the 2017 NBA CBA (Page 273) stipulates the surprisingly few rules for entrants such as Haber to enter their names in the draft:
(i) The player (A) is or will be at least nineteen (19) years of age during the calendar year in which the draft is held, and (B) with respect to a player who is not an international player (defined below), at least one (1) NBA Season has elapsed since the player’s graduation from high school (or, if the player did not graduate from high school, since the graduation of the class with which the player would have graduated had he graduated from high school); and
(ii) (A) The player has graduated from a four-year college or university in the United States (or is to graduate in the calendar year in which the draft is held) and has no remaining intercollegiate basketball eligibility. ...
(F) The player has expressed his desire to be selected in the draft in a writing received by the NBA at least sixty (60) days prior to such draft (an “Early Entry” player). ...
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Haber met the initial eligibility requirements to enter his name into the draft: He's 21 years old and is a December 2022 graduate of the University of Florida, majoring in business and minoring in entrepreneurship and communications. Because he had the wherewithal to reach out to the NBA 60 days prior to the date of the draft, he is an official member of the 2023 class.
"You really have a three-month, four-month window to really do this," Haber told The Los Angeles Times. "And it’s because of that window, not many people are going to think to do it because they think, 'Oh it’s a waste of time, there’s some paperwork to fill out.' And it’s what it really is."
Haber told the Times he was simply bored after graduating from Florida. That's why he looked into the CBA and discovered the language that would allow him to become eligible. He told the Times he intends to attend the 2023 draft at the Barclays Center because of "connections" he has at the venue, and will also document his experience via YouTube.
The Times reports Haber is not among the 300 names included in an April memo sent to teams of draft-eligible players: He is instead one of 18 names under a separate category of "unknown individuals."
While his name won't be called on Thursday, Haber certainly isn't an "unknown" anymore.