The NCAA has granted eligibility to a former NBA Draft pick – a decision that has the potential to fundamentally change the relationship between professional basketball and college basketball forever.
7-footer James Nnaji, a 21-year-old Nigerian-born professional basketball player who never played in college, has committed to Baylor University. The NCAA has granted him four years of eligibility and he will be cleared to play for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.
Nnaji was drafted 31st overall in the 2023 NBA Draft to the Charlotte Hornets. Nnaji’s draft rights were later packaged in the three-team mega-deal centered around Karl-Anthony Towns. Nnaji was sent to New York.
Moreover, Nnaji’s draft rights do not change hands as a result of this decision, according to The Athletic’s Fred Katz. This decision is essentially tantamount to the Knicks loaning Nnaji to Baylor for up to four years.
While he never played in the NBA or in the G-League, Nnaji has been playing professional basketball since 2019.
Moreover, he has taken part in NBA Summer League games as recently as this year.
The NCAA has granted four years of eligibility to James Nnaji, who will play at Baylor
Nnaji was drafted 31st overall in the 2023 NBA Draft and has not signed a contract with a team
It has the potential to forever change the way that the NCAA and the NBA work together.Â
Before today, basketball players were not allowed to return to college after their names had even been entered into the pool for the NBA Draft – let alone completely return to school after they played.
Now, this decision could pave the way for NBA teams to draft players out of college – only to send them back to school to play while holding onto their rights.
Daily Mail Sport has contacted the NCAA for comment on this matter.Â
After playing for European sides like FC Barcelona, Nnaji was the 31st overall choice by the Detroit Pistons. A draft-day trade sent him to Charlotte.
He has not signed an NBA contract and has not played any minutes in a regular season NBA game.
The decision sent ripples throughout college basketball – with fans and coaches alike stunned and wondering how the NCAA could make such a decision, or how a player could be granted immediate eligibility in the middle of a season.
Nnaji has, however, played professionally since 2019 and took part in NBA Summer League
Nnaji’s rights were traded to the New York Knicks as part of the Karl-Anthony Towns deal
UConn men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley posted, ‘Santa Claus is delivering mid season acquisitions….this s*** is crazy!!’
‘Don’t be mad at the players, agents, brokers or coaches. Don’t be mad at the current people in charge,’ wrote former Indiana men’s basketball coach Tom Crean. ‘If you’re upset go back and look at every “perfunctory” committee that was formed to take a path of least resistance and who put them together and participated. Years ago.’
‘This makes zero sense. Drafted players can now go to college lol,’ wrote college basketball reporter Zach Braziller.
On3 bracketologist James Fletcher III commented, ‘This is the first pro turned college player that should create serious concern over the trajectory beyond a unique point in time. Having kept his name in the draft and being selected, still under team control, there is now no barrier from anyone who played less than four years.’Â
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NCAA makes bombshell ruling which could change college basketball forever