“Hopefully, they’ll just do the right thing,” he said.

Cohen said that one of his primary arguments against the rule, which is part of the collective bargaining agreement between the league and union, was that soldiers can fight for their country at age 18 but not play in the N.B.A. He also said noted that predominantly white sports like hockey, baseball and golf lack similar restrictions.

“There’s something wrong with keeping kids, who are more likely to be African-American than not, from playing professional basketball and football when they can help their families and communities immediately,” Cohen said. “They’re forced to go to school when they have no desire or interest in going to school.”

The N.B.A. spokesman Mike Bass said the league was looking forward to receiving and responding to the congressman’s letter. The players union spokesman Dan Wasserman said he expected the age issue to be “front and center” when the collective bargaining agreement, which expires in 2011, is renegotiated. Wasserman added that the union looked forward to the opportunity to “revisit the change to the rule that was made in 2005.”

Cohen said he began researching the issue in April and chose to write the letter now to use the spotlight of the N.B.A. finals for exposure. Four of the biggest stars in the finals  Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum, Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis skipped college before the rule changed. (The current rule essentially forces players to attend college for a year.)

“I don’t think its fair,” Lewis said, ticking off the names of the players in the finals. He added: “The M.V.P. of the league, LeBron James, came out of high school. Kevin Garnett won a championship last year. There are a handful of guys who are the face of the game who came out of high school. So I think you should continue to let certain guys do it, make that jump.”