If you needed more confirmation that there are no rules in college basketball right now, this should push you over the edge.
According to On3’s Joe Tipton, James Nnaji has committed to play for Baylor and will suit up with the Bears for the second half of the 2025-26 season. Why is this newsworthy? Nnaji was the No. 31 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and has played multiple years in the NBA’s Summer League.
Currently 21 years old, Nnaji never officially inked an NBA contract, which was enough to deem him eligible (whatever that word means these days) by the NCAA. The seven-footer has been granted four full years of college eligibility after playing professionally overseas for the past couple of seasons since being drafted into the Association.
Nnaji was originally drafted by the Detroit Pistons, but his rights were moved to the Charlotte Hornets. In 2024, his rights were moved once again, this time to the New York Knicks, as part of the three-team Karl-Anthony Towns trade. Nnaji even suited up for the Knicks in this year’s NBA Summer League. A native of Nigeria, he’s played professional basketball in Europe dating back to 2020.
This type of move is becoming more and more common in the college basketball world, not just with international players, either. Southern California recently added Robert Morris transfer Kam Woods to its roster as a midseason addition. Some Kentucky fans are wondering if head coach Mark Pope might look into doing something similar, like adding a point guard to the roster in the wake of Jaland Lowe‘s lingering shoulder injury.
Every time the James Nnajis of the world find a new college basketball home, that possibility grows. We are living in wild times, folks.