James Nnaji is about to do something that no player ever has, which is return to college basketball after being a pro.

Nnaji was originally drafted by the Pistons in 2023 as the first pick in the second round, but they traded his rights to Charlotte Hornets, who eventually traded those rights to the Knicks. Nnaji’s “rights” were traded as part of the Karl-Anthony Towns deal that brought the star center to New York, but Nnaji never actually signed an NBA contract, which is key.

He’s even appeared in a few Summer League games but because he has’t signed a contract, he’s technically still eligible to play in college even though he’s already played several years as a pro in Nigeria and Barcelona.

Nnaji, who is just 21 years old, will enroll in Baylor where he’s expected to immediately start playing for the Bears. The whole situation is bizarre and I do wonder if this case will eventually cause the NCAA to reconsider its rulebook.

The line between amateur and pro continues to be blurred by James Nnaji

I stopped watching college basketball ages ago, mostly because I think it’s a poor product, as most of the best players leave after just one season.

I also found the whole thing to stink of corruption, as billions were being made on the backs of college athletes who got nothing. That has all changed with the NIL money, so at least the NCAA made some effort to make it fair for their student athletes.

But the NIL money also had some unintended consequences, as Trajan Langdon spoke about near the draft, as more of the second-tier guys are staying in school to get paid instead of leaping off a cliff into an uncertain future in the NBA.

The NCAA has already made it easier for players to test the NBA waters by joining the draft and returning as long as they don’t hire an agent, but Nnaji has opened up a new loophole to push this even further.

It does seem slightly unfair to the players Nnaji goes against, as he’s been banging with pros the last several years and will now seem like a full grown man going back to college.

It also seems slightly off that the Knicks were able to use his rights in a trade even though he’s headed back to college.

It’s a loophole the NCAA may eventually have to address now that players can be lured back to school as long as they haven’t signed an NBA deal.