You know how I know that Like Mike and Air Bud take place in the same universe? Not once in this entire movie does anyone stop and question the fact that a 13 year old boy is playing professional basketball. It’s almost like they as a society have already accepted that there must not be a rule against it, so it's okay. The boys don’t bring it up either, but what do they know about sports right? It’s the paws clause in full effect, Like Mike!