A controversial college basketball player put his name in the transfer portal. Baylor forward James Nnaji plans to enter, according to Joe Tipton of On3. The 7-foot, 250-pound center will look for a new home and has three more years of eligibility left, barring a redshirt year.

Nnaji’s background

Nnaji’s inclusion in college basketball is controversial, since he was drafted in the NBA. The Detroit Pistons selected him with the No. 31 pick in the 2023 NBA draft. His rights were traded to the Charlotte Hornets and the New York Knicks in the Karl Anthony Towns deal.

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However, Nnaji still hadn’t played college basketball or in the NBA. Before he was drafted, he played for FC Barcelona and bounced around in multiple leagues (Basquet Girona, Merkezefendi) from 2020-25. He enrolled with the Baylor Bears on Dec. 24, 2025.

Nnaji’s eligibility argument

Since he had never played in an NBA game, never enrolled in a college, and was within five years of what would be his high school graduation, Nnaji got to come back and play for the Baylor Bears’ men’s team. As a freshman, he averaged just 1.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, 0.2 assists, and 18.2 minutes per game.

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Several players from this past season faced the same eligibility case as Nnaji. Virginia’s Thijs De Ridder, Ole Miss’ Ilias Kamardine, North Carolina’s Luka Bogavac, Illinois’ Mihailo Petrovic, Louisville’s Sananda Fru and Texas A&M’s Rubén Dominguez were all international pros that went back to college basketball.

The difference between Nnaji and those players is that none of them were drafted in the NBA. They could still sign as undrafted free agents with any NBA team.

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Status of Baylor

Baylor has had a decline since their national championship in the 2019-20 season. They fell in the Round of 32 six years in a row after that, but in the 2025-26 season, the team sputtered to a 17-17 record. They fell to Arizona State in the Big 12 tournament and lost in the College Basketball Crown semifinal to Oklahoma.

The transfer portal for college basketball opened on April 7, 2026, and some big names have entered. Kansas’ Flory Bidunga, Wake Forest’s Juke Harris, and Wisconsin’s John Blackwell are the top names available in the portal.