 Bradley 's graduation year , 1965 , was the last year that the NBA 's territorial rule was in effect , which gave professional teams first rights to draft players who attended college within 50 miles of the team . The New York Knicks — one mile closer to Princeton than the Philadelphia 76ers — drafted Bradley as a territorial pick in the 1965 draft , but he did not sign a contract with the team immediately . While studying Politics , Philosophy , and Economics at Oxford , he commuted to Italy to play professional basketball in the Lega Basket Serie A for Olimpia Milano during the 1965 – 66 season , where the team won a European Champions Cup . 
