College basketball has descended into chaos after the NCAA spoke out on its shock decision to grant eligibility to a former NBA Draft pick.
There are fears that the decision to allow James Nnaji, a 21-year-old Nigerian-born professional basketball player who never played in college, to join Baylor could change the sport forever.
The NCAA granted Nnaji four years of eligibility and he will be cleared to play for the remainder of the 2025-26 season – despite the Charlotte Hornets drafting him 31st overall in 2023.
Until now, basketball players were not allowed to return to college if they are part of the NBA draft. Traditionally, players have had until mid-June to withdraw their names if they want to stay in school.
Amid the furor, the NCAA has now muddied the waters further with a cryptic statement about the future of NBA players in college basketball.
‘Schools are recruiting and seeking eligibility for more individuals with more international, semi-pro and professional experience than ever before and while the NCAA members have updated many rules following the House injunction, more rules must likely be updated to reflect the choices member schools are making,’ the NCAA told The Field of 68.
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
‘At the same time, NCAA eligibility rules have been invalidated by judges across the country wreaking havoc on the system and leading to fewer opportunities for high school students, which is why the Association is asking Congress to intervene in these challenges.’
The affair sparked a furious reaction from Arkansas’ Hall-of-Fame coach John Calipari, who warned the NCAA that they could face legal action.
In an impassioned statement on Monday night, he said: ‘The rules be the rules! So if you put your name in the draft – I don’t care if you’re from Russia – and you stay in the draft, you can’t play college basketball.’
He continued: ‘I don’t blame coaches – I have friends that are playing with 27-year-olds and they feel bad. I say: “Don’t feel bad, we don’t have any rules – why should you feel bad?”‘
Xavier head coach Richard Pitino, meanwhile, responded to the NCAA’s statement on social media. He wrote simply: ‘Yikes’
Nnaji never played in the NBA or in the G-League but he has been playing professional basketball since 2019. Nnaji also took part in NBA Summer League games this year.
Earlier this week, longtime Michigan State coach Tom Izzo savaged the authorities over the ruling.
‘I thought I’d seen the worst — then Christmas came,’ Izzo said, per USA Today. ‘Now we’re taking guys that were drafted in the NBA and everything… if that’s what we’re going to, shame on the NCAA. Shame on the coaches, too, but shame on the NCAA because coaches are gonna do what they gotta do, I guess.’
Nnaji never played in the NBA but he has been playing professional basketball since 2019
He added: ‘Those people on those committees that are making those decisions to allow something so ridiculous… I just don’t agree with it.’
Purdue coach Matt Painter, meanwhile, said: ‘We just want to know the rules so we can abide by them. We don’t know what’s going on.
‘We need some leadership, we need someone to step up and [break down] how it’s ran… give us the rules and we’ll abide by them. Because that’s who the rules are for, the rules aren’t for the people who cheat.’
He added: ‘This all goes down and there’s no communication. We just want to know. Tell us what to do… there’s a lot of gray area right now.’
Gonzaga coach Mark Few claimed ‘it’s wild out there right now,’ claiming: ‘We really don’t have any organizational or any real rules right now. So I think guys are just trying to do whatever they can and until there’s a rule that says you can’t do it, it’s hard to blame anybody for doing what they’re doing.’
He added: ‘A lack of leadership has really shown. Now it’s probably time to get some help from Congress but they’re more screwed up than the NCAA is!’
