The NBA educations of Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry are all underway, with each of the preps-to-pros phenoms already hitting the weight room and taking their lumps in NBA summer leagues.

	Tyson Chandler is willing to listen to advice from others on how to manage his life after striking it rich with an NBA contract.

But away from the hardwood, away from the squeaking of gym shoes and bouncing of basketballs, is a learning process just as critical as using the proper follow through on a free throw or boxing out under the basket. It sounds like something from a late-night infomercial: How to deal with the pressures of becoming an overnight millionaire within two months of high school graduation. Essentially, it's a crash course in learning the responsibility and wisdom of a fully grown, fully matured adult, despite being far from one.

It's their first time away from home, in the real world, and the pressures are enormous. In addition to improving their skills, learning complicated plays, familiarizing themselves with teammates and bulking up in the weight room, these kids have to become educate about interest rates, 401Ks, luxury taxes and diversified portfolios. Not to mention the intricacies of cooking a grilled cheese sandwich.

"It's a lot more to deal with -- that's for sure," said Chandler, whose rights were acquired by the Chicago Bulls when they traded Elton Brand to the Los Angeles Clippers on draft day. "You instantly have to learn to take responsibility. From the interviews to the various meetings with different financial people to just general, day-by-day life, it's basically like starting your life all over again."

If that's the case, then Chandler, Brown, Curry and DeSagana Diop, the four first-round draftees to jump to the NBA straight out of high school, are barely infants. And the NBA teams, which are banking their future on these kids, are the ever-important nurturing parents.

It's all been done before, what with Kobe Bryant blossoming with the Lakers after starring at Lower Merion High School in Philadelphia. Similar stories can be told of Tracy McGrady, Kevin Garnett and Jermaine O'Neal. But at no other time has there been so much at stake with so many people watching.

After all, Brown was the first high schooler ever taken with the No. 1 pick. He, Chandler and Curry were three of the first four selections in the draft. Then factor in that Brown was the choice of The Chosen One, Michael Jordan, and the stakes grow even higher.

It's a concept that's difficult to grasp even for Doug Collins, the Wizards' new coach and the No. 1 pick in the 1973 NBA Draft.

"To be 19 years old and walk out of high school and be an NBA player, the first pick? I couldn't even fathom that," Collins said. "I was the first pick, but I had four years of school, I played in the Olympics."

Showing them the ropes
To aid in the adjustment process, Jordan and Collins already have talked about instituting a mentoring program to ensure that Brown gets as much guidance and attention away from the basketball court as he does on it.

	Michael Jordan has implemented a mentoring program for Kwame Brown, the Wizards' No. 1 draft pick.

"We want to make sure this kid has a chance to nurture not just as a basketball player, but a person," Jordan said.

Already, the Wizards' Laron Profit, Popeye Jones, David Vanterpool and Chris Whitney have volunteered to assist in the process.

"I remember talking to Antonio Davis a couple years ago and he became sort of a big brother to Al Harrington to help ease his transition" with the Indiana Pacers, Collins said. "So we need someone on this team who will really help look out for (Brown) and show him how to travel, how to prepare, know when to have fun and when you have three games in four nights in three cities and you need to rest."

While Brown will have the luxury of leaning on Jordan, Collins and his Wizards teammates for advice, Chandler will have the ability -- be it either good or bad -- to share the drastic life changes with Curry by his side.

"We rely on each other a lot and it's nice to have someone there who, day by day, understands what you're going through," said Chandler, who plans to buy an apartment in the same neighborhood as his new teammate. "I sort of see us as each other's sidekicks."

Chandler said that Tom Lewis, a friend and his personal trainer, will move with him to Chicago to also aid in the adjustment process. In addition, his mother plans to stay with him in Chicago for the first couple months.

Brown isn't sure yet what his living arrangements will be. On draft day, he said that either his mother or his pastor, the Rev. John Williams, a father figure to Brown throughout his high school days, would move with Brown to Washington. Now he's not so sure.

"It's a possibility," he said. "She's my mom, so you never know."

First lesson: How to manage their money
In his last job, Brown earned $7 an hour as a construction worker in his hometown of Brunswick, Ga. Two weeks ago, he signed a three-year, $12.67 million contract with the Wizards.

	Eddy Curry, right, and Tyson Chandler expect to become close friends now that they are Bulls teammates.

Curry and Chandler have yet to sign, but with rookie salaries set by the collective bargaining agreement, their signatures are more a formality. Chandler will make as much as $10.67 million over three years, while Curry can make roughly $8.67 million over the same period.

In addition, Chandler has reportedly signed an endorsement contract with Nike that will pay him $350,000, plus incentives, each of the next five years.

It's quite the chunk of change for a couple of kids who not long ago had to borrow milk money.

So how do you spend so much money?

Brown, who calls himself "thrifty," bought himself a GMC Yukon Denali. His other big purchase will be a house for his mother, who supported eight kids as a maid at Holiday Inn before her back gave out. "The biggest one she wants," said Brown, who plans to rent an apartment in Washington D.C. "I want to treat her the best I can."

But there won't be much bling-bling for Brown. Aside from day-to-day expenses, Brown said his earnings will be invested with help from Arn Tellem, his agent.

It's hardly the high profile, jewelry-toting mentality typical of a No. 1 pick.

"I don't wear jewelry," Brown said. "It just doesn't make any sense to me to spend $20,000 on a necklace so somebody can be jealous and kill me for it. That's not me."

Chandler's position is similar. Like Brown, he already has purchased a Cadillac Escalade, complete with a built-in PlayStation 2. And he also wants to buy his parents a house in Riverside, Calif., some 60 miles from their home in Compton.

Both purchases have been factored into the strict budget that Chandler has been put on by his group of accountants, money managers, financial advisors and agents. It's a gang he calls "The Tyson Chandler team."

"When I realized I was going pro, I sat down and interviewed a lot of people from different accounts and stuff and put together a team that I felt I can trust," Chandler said. "And this group is what I came up with."

His agent, Jeff Schwartz, said that decision displays the maturity that Chandler already has at 18.

"One of the things I like about him is his intelligence, his ability to ask questions about what he should do," Schwartz said. "Whether it's to buy something or lease something, he doesn't hesitate to ask for advice. And he educates himself on what he's learned."

Collins is just as praising of Brown, whose presence, he says, can light up a room.

"Our job is to keep him smiling," Collins said. "As a rookie, you go through ups and downs, so it's up to myself and MJ to put our arms around him, love him and make sure that when he does get down, the smile is still there."

Wayne Drehs is a staff writer for ESPN.com. He can be reached at wayne.drehs@espn.com.