Billy Hunter, the executive director of the NBA Players Association, was living in Oakland in the early '90s when a local high school basketball star was considered the best player in the country.

"Jason Kidd played like a man on the court, compared to all the other players," Hunter recalled the other day. "He could do all these things other players his age couldn't do. You could just tell watching him, he was light years ahead of the competition. That's what LeBron James reminds me of now."

	Billy Hunter, left, has become the target of proponents for a 20-and-under rule in the NBA.

But it's more than a little different for Hunter in 2002. He's becoming front and center in the LeBron James story.

"I'm the target now," he said. "And I will continue to be the target."

With James all but certain to head into the pros in June, and looking like the No. 1 draft pick overall, there are calls anew for Hunter and the NBA players to agree to 20-and-under rule for players entering the NBA. As he switched over on his TV from the Bulls-Pistons game last week to catch the Akron, Ohio phenom tear apart Oak Hill Academy on ESPN2, Hunter heard it for himself.

In not the nicest of terms, either.

"Dick Vitale was basically saying that the NCAA and David Stern were ready to do a deal, and that the only people holding up the deal were the union and me. That I refuse to sit down and do a deal," Hunter said. "So I'm to blame.

"I have to admit, I was appalled when I heard that. There's nothing going on with that, that I know of. And I don't think there should be a rule, either."

Hunter is right on that score. There shouldn't be a rule barring players from jumping from the preps to the pros. If James feels he's ready, he should be able to come right in. You don't hear people screaming when it comes to tennis prodigies or baseball prospects or hockey players going right from the scholastic ranks into the pros. But for some reason, the NBA has this problem, as if James is going to be pressed into some sort of menial factory work right out of a Charles Dickens tale.

Does it make sense for Dick Vitale to back such a rule? Of course. That way, he'd be assured of screaming at the top of his lungs about James for a couple of seasons. It also makes perfect sense for Stern and his NBA owners, too. They're always looking for ways to get more cost-certainty. By having all rookies start their first contract -- lasting five seasons, at the age of 20, instead of at 18 -- that would help save money in terms of limiting the players' future contracts.

"It's always about money," Hunter noted.

For the purists, like George Karl and Larry Brown, forcing not-ready-for-primetime players to go to college to hone their skills would be an absolute god-send. With such a rule, you'd never have another Leon Smith, who was sadly ill-equipped to handle the pros right out of high school in Chicago. Everyone seemed to know that except Don Nelson.

"Maybe some kids come in who shouldn't be here," Hunter admitted. "But if that's the case, don't sign 'em."

Don't draft 'em, either.

But here's the simplest argument against a 20-and-under rule: Ever hear of Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Tracy McGrady?

Whether it's Dick Vitale or David Stern, you never hear those names mentioned when an age-minimum rule is pushed. You know why?

Bryant, Garnett and McGrady are among the top players in the game today and have been nothing but a credit to the league since making the jump right from high school. They've been great character guys. None has been involved in off-court troubles. They certainly don't have bad reps. Or arrest records. They're superstars who bring the league nothing but good publicity. All three are among the most popular players in all of sports today. And somehow, incredible to Vitale as it must seem, they've all managed to ascend to the top without ever having set foot on a college campus, or entered a college basketball factory.

How's that possible? They're special players. And James could be the next one who is blessed not only with the athleticism, skills and demeanor to jump right in, but also with the maturity.

	“	Look at what Amare Stoudemire is doing in Phoenix. He has come in and showed he belongs. Some kids are just ready for this league. Why stop them? ”
		— Billy Hunter

"Look at what Amare Stoudemire is doing in Phoenix," Hunter said, referring to the Suns' rookie who came right into the league from the high school ranks. "He has come in and showed he belongs. Some kids are just ready for this league. Why stop them?"

Boston's Antoine Walker has become something of a mentor to James over the past two years. The two constantly exchange e-mails, and they worked out together in Chicago last summer. There is little doubt in Walker's mind that James can handle all the pressures and make a successful transition.

"I don't know how good he'll be in this league," Walker said. "You have to remember, he's going to come into this league where he'll be playing the three. He's 6-8, 240 pounds, so I'd expect that means he'll be going up against guys like Tracy McGrady and Paul Pierce and other great players at that position. That's elite company. And, he's probably going to go to a team that's been losing. So there'll be some learning."

Then Walker said, "I told him he should have fun now, because he's going to have to be ready for the big boys."

From what Hunter has seen, James can handle it. No one is going to have to learn his name, either.

That's always been an underlying factor in the NBA pushing for an age minimum. It prefers the Dukes and the UCLAs to take care of marketing players. The reasoning goes, the longer a player stays in a big-time college program, the more the general public will become familiar with his name.

But that age-old argument has died with James. His game against Oak Hill Academy posted a 2.0 rating, making it ESPN2's highest-rated program since its coverage of the death of Dale Earnhardt. His team's games are carried on pay-per-view TV in Ohio. This week, the Yankees Entertainment & Sports (YES) Network decided to carry his St. Vincent-St. Mary team playing in the Prime Time Shootout, a tournament featuring 16 of the top 25 teams in the nation, in February. And, James has already graced the cover of Sports Illustrated -- as a high school junior.

"Nobody on the high school level has ever gotten this kind of exposure, not even Jason Kidd," Hunter said. "But everybody in the world knows who LeBron James is."

And as long as they're trying to put in a 20-and-under rule, you're going to know who Billy Hunter is, too.

Mitch Lawrence, who covers the NBA for the New York Daily News, writes a regular NBA column for ESPN.com.