OIB Announces New Age and Experience Restrictions
June 16, 2028; New York, NY- Just weeks before the OIB’s annual draft was scheduled to take place, the organization announced a major change to its rules for eligibility that will go into effect at the start of the 2028-29 season and significantly impact the upcoming draft.
“Effective immediately, the OIB will require that all players be at least 21 years of age or have completed two years of college basketball in order to be eligible for participation in the league,” announced OIB President Sonya Gutierrez. “We have contemplated this decision for the last year and have decided this is in the best interest of the young athletes that dream of playing in the league. While it means many will have to wait an additional two to three years in order to be drafted, we believe this will protect player mental health as well as physical health. We have seen for decades that many young men that are drafted into the league are not prepared for the stress of being in the public eye nor the financial responsibility that comes with being a player in the OIB.”
While some applauded the decision, many fans were upset by the prospect of having to wait two or more years to see some of this year’s top prospects in professional action. In particular, fans of the Baltimore Bullets were up in arms over the announcement, as it was assumed that the team would use its first pick to draft generational talent Dimitri Semenov.
“I’m very upset,” said Bullets owner Aaron Stanfield. “We’ve spent countless hours evaluating players that will now be ineligible for the draft. And as bad as that is for us, what about the players? Most college teams don’t have scholarships left to offer these players that expected to be playing professionally next year, and the international players may be facing even more dire consequences.”
“This is an unfair and outrageous abuse of power aimed at hurting a Russian-born player’s opportunity to establish himself as the world’s greatest basketball player,” said a statement from the Russian-based agency that represents Semenov. “This decision was clearly designed to harm Dimitri Semenov and the country he represents. We will be filing suit in order to prevent this decision from going into effect and will fight until justice is served.”
Russian basketball phenom Dimitri Semenov, who is just 18 years old but has been playing professionally in Europe since the age of 14, is a key figure in the recent decision by the OIB to increase age minimums for participation in the league. Semenov was assumed to be the first pick in the 2028 draft before the ruling.
Semenov, who began playing semi-professionally at the age of 13, is considered one of the greatest basketball prospects in history. The child of former Russian International team captains from the men’s and women’s teams, he has been the focus of extensive national training efforts almost since the day he was born, and Russian officials have pinned the hopes of a nation upon him. A 6.10” wing, Semenov seemingly has it all, from the ball handling and passing ability of a point guard to the smooth jump shot of some of the best shooters in OIB history. A student of the game, many scouts have already commented that Semenov may have the best footwork of any player in history.
But now, with the recent OIB announcement, the future of the Baltimore Bullets, Dimitri Semenov, and numerous other prospects and organizations are in question, and it looks like we may need to wait even longer before we can see just how well Semenov will fare in the OIB.