NBA rookies gather in New Jersey for transition program

Karl-Anthony Towns left Kentucky for the NBA in April.

The No. 1 overall pick for the Minnesota Timberwolves was back in school this week at the league's Rookie Transition Program.

First-year players convened in New Jersey this week to attend four days of classes aimed at helping them make the jump to the pros. The NBA and the players' union collaborated to give them information on everything from financial planning and retirement to ways to handle relationships with women.

''The rookie transition program is, we think, the most important four days of your professional career,'' NBA senior vice president for player development Greg Taylor said. ''Just to get off to the right start and I think our guys are a tremendous class and we look for them to do great things on and off the court.''

Players attended sessions in large and small groups for 12 hours a day, getting bombarded with information about resources available to them and stories from former NBA players about the pitfalls that can come with the money and fame.

Towns said one of the most eye-opening sessions was a talk with former player Chris Herren, who has spent years speaking about how drug addiction derailed his career. Former New York Knicks star Allan Houston and longtime NBA player Shane Battier were there as well, along with Jason Collins, the first active gay NBA player, who gave a talk on respect and inclusion.

''When you're talking to legends, they've already went through this process of playing in the NBA and also living after their career is over,'' Towns said. ''Being able to hear their stories, how they've had success and others have had success to get an idea of what we should be looking to do and know what we need to do is just really helpful.''

More than 1,600 players have participated in the program, which has been running since 1986.