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The NCAA’s stance on the eligibility of athletes with NBA experience has been placed firmly under the microscope in 2025.
The organization’s position was called into question after James Nnaji joined the Baylor men’s basketball team. Nnaji’s decision was compounded by reports that Trentyn Flowers, a rookie on a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls, was allegedly seeking NCAA eligibility.
Just before New Year’s Eve, NCAA President Charlie Baker set a firm line on college eligibility for former student-athletes who gain NBA experience.
“The NCAA does not and will not grant eligibility to prospective or returning student-athletes who have signed an NBA contract (including a two-way contract),” Baker said Tuesday.
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NCAA President and former Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker is interviewed by Boston Globe Sports Writer Chris Gasper during the 2023 Globe Summit. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
“While the NCAA has prevailed in the vast majority of eligibility-related lawsuits, recent aberrant decisions nationally prohibiting the NCAA from enforcing rules that have been in place for decades – without even having a trial – are extremely destabilizing. I will work with DI leadership in the coming weeks to protect college basketball from these misguided attempts to destroy this American institution.”
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Baylor confirmed that Nnaji signed with the program on Christmas Eve. The move came about two and a half years after the Detroit Pistons selected Nnaji in the second round of the NBA draft.
Nnaji has participated in the NBA summer league but has yet to appear in an NBA regular season game. However, he has experience at the professional level, having spent five years in the EuroLeague. Nnaji’s NBA rights were included in a three-team deal that transferred his rights to the New York Knicks. The trade also moved Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Knicks.
The NCAA logo on the entrance sign outside of NCAA headquarters on February 28, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Flowers appeared to be headed to Louisville before signing a contract in Australia. He appeared in two NBA games this season with the Bulls.
Nnaji’s collegiate eligibility was approved last week, a decision that mirrors that of other international players who had not previously enrolled at a college or university under the NCAA’s jurisdiction or appeared in an NBA game.
James Nnaji of Barcelona takes a shot during Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season Game 34 between LDLC Asvel Villeurbanne and FC Barcelona at LDLC Arena on April 12, 2024 in Lyon, France. (Eurasia Sports Images/Getty Images)
There is a growing list of athletes who have spent time in the NBA’s G League or competed internationally seeking to play college basketball in the United States — a trend that several prominent college basketball coaches have spoken out against.
Arkansas men’s basketball head coach John Calipari said no one should be allowed to play college basketball after being drafted to the pros, regardless of their international status.
“Very simple. The rules will be the rules, so if you put your name in the [NBA draft]I don’t care if you’re from Russia and you stay in the draft, you can’t play college basketball,” Arkansas coach John Calipari said in a wide-ranging speech on the state of college basketball Monday night. “‘Well, it’s only for American kids.’ What? If your name is in this draft and you were drafted, you can’t play because that’s our rule. »
Gonzaga coach Mark Few seemed to take aim at the NCAA’s leadership structure, saying, “It’s crazy right now. We really don’t have any organizational or real rules right now. I think guys are just trying to do whatever they can. Until there’s a rule that says you can’t do it, it’s hard to blame someone for what they’re doing. Our lack of leadership really showed that.”
It remains unclear whether the NCAA’s rules on amateurism, as Baker reiterated, will be challenged in court.
