Livingston to the NBA

Duke Class of 2004 point guard recruit Shaun Livingston has officially entered his name into the 2004 NBA draft. Livingston has been projected to be a possible top 5 pick in the upcoming NBA draft. Livingston will not hire an agent, which would allow him the option of going to Duke if he does not like where he is projected to be drafted. He will also not participate in the pre-draft camp, which is scheduled to be held in Chicago prior to the June 24th NBA draft. Instead of participating in the pre-draft camp, he will conduct private workouts for teams which will have lottery picks in the draft. Livingston will also have the option of taking his name out of the draft if he chooses to do so before June 17th. In addition, after going through the draft, he can still choose to go to Duke, provided he has not hired an agent or had any monetary gains from entering his name into the draft. However, in that scenario, the team that drafts him will own the rights to him whenever his college eligibility expires.

''It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do,'' Livingston told the Peoria Journal Star. "But [Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski] is such a first-class guy, he made it easier by being positive. He told me congratulations."

However, not everyone in the Livingston family is supportive of Shaun's decision. "Shaun is not mature enough, mentally or physically, for the NBAand I don't care how much money they give him," his grandfather, Frank Livingston, said.
Frank Livingston helped raise his grandson. "You don't put yourself in a position where older people can take advantage of you, and you don't go to the NBA to gain maturity," he said.