Currently, in order to play in the NBA, players have to be one year removed from high school. Although playing internationally is an option, the quickest and easiest pipeline to make it to the NBA is through playing for a college for a year. This allows easy access for NBA scouts at every game and constant exposure in the country they will soon be playing in.
But why do players who are very obviously going to play in the NBA have to play in college? This debate is like any other big debate in the country like abortion, immigration and gun control.