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The NCAA’s stance on eligibility for athletes whose backgrounds include NBA experience has come under scrutiny in 2025.
The organization’s stance was called into question after James Nnaji joined the Baylor men’s basketball team. Nnaji’s move was compounded by reports that Trentyn Flowers, a rookie on a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls, was reportedly seeking NCAA eligibility.
Just before New Year’s Eve, NCAA President Charlie Baker drew a firm line on college eligibility for former student-athletes who gain NBA experience.
“The NCAA has not and will not grant eligibility to any prospective or returning student-athlete who has 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 at the Globe Summit 2023. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
“While the NCAA has prevailed in the vast majority of eligibility-related lawsuits, the recent dissenting decisions requiring the NCAA on a nationwide basis to enforce rules that have been on the books for decades — without even having a lawsuit — are wildly destabilizing. I will work with DI leaders in the coming weeks to protect this USA Basketball institution from destroying these deceptive USA Basketball attempts.”
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Baylor confirmed that Nnaji signed with the program on Christmas Eve, approximately 2½ years after the Detroit Pistons selected Nnaji in the second round of the NBA Draft.
Nnaji has competed in the NBA Summer League, but has yet to appear in an NBA regular season game. However, he has experience playing at the professional level after spending five years in the EuroLeague. Nnaji’s NBA rights were included in a three-team deal that sent his rights to the New York Knicks. The transaction also moved Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Knicks.
The NCAA logo outside NCAA headquarters Feb. 28, 2023 in Indianapolis. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
Flowers appeared to be headed to Louisville before agreeing to a contract in Australia. He has appeared in two NBA games this season with the Bulls.
Nnaji’s collegiate eligibility received approval last week, a move that mirrored other international players who have not previously enrolled at a college or university under the NCAA’s purview or appeared in an NBA game.
James Nnaji of Barcelona takes a shot during a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague regular season match against LDLC Asvel Villeurbanne at LDLC Arena on April 12, 2024 in Lyon, France. (Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
There is a growing list of athletes who spent time in the NBA’s G League or competed at the international level 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 into the pros, regardless of international status.
“Really simple. The rules are the rules, so if you put your name in [NBA Draft]I don’t care if you’re from Russia and you stay in the draft, you can’t play college basketball,” Calipari said Monday. “‘Well, it’s only for American kids.’ What? If your name is in that draft and you’ve been drafted, you can’t play because that’s our rule.”
Gonzaga coach Mark Few appeared to take aim at the NCAA’s leadership structure, saying, “It’s crazy out there right now. We really don’t have any organizational or any real rules right now. I think guys are just trying to do what they can. Until there’s a rule that says you can’t do it, it’s hard to blame anybody for doing what our leader has shown.”
It remains unclear whether the NCAA’s amateur rules, as reiterated by Baker, will be challenged in court.
