NCAA president shuts door on eligibility for players who signed NBA contracts
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The NCAA’s stance on the eligibility of athletes with NBA experience is under strict scrutiny in 2025.
After James Nnaji joined the Baylor men’s basketball team, the organization’s stance began to be questioned. Nnaji’s move was further fueled by allegations that rookie Trentyn Flowers, who is on a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls, is pursuing NCAA eligibility.
Just before New Year’s Eve, NCAA President Charlie Baker drew a hard 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 signs an NBA contract (including a two-way contract),” Baker said in a statement Tuesday. he said.
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NCAA president and former Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker is interviewed by Boston Globe Sports writer Chris Gasper at Globe Summit 2023. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
“While the NCAA has prevailed in the vast majority of eligibility-related cases, the NCAA’s recent outlier decisions banning nationwide enforcement of rules that have been on the books for decades – without even a hearing – are wildly destabilizing. I will work with DI leaders in the coming weeks to protect college basketball from these misguided attempts to destroy this American institution.”
JOHN CALIPARI DEMOLITED THE NCAA AFTER THE NBA PLAYER ENTERED COLLEGE MID-SEASON: ‘WE HAVE NO RULES’
Baylor confirmed Nnaji signed with the program on Christmas Eve. This move comes nearly two and a half years after the Detroit Pistons selected Nnaji in the second round of the NBA Draft.
Nnaji 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, having spent 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. This transaction also moved Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Knicks.
The NCAA logo on the entrance sign outside the NCAA Headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana, on February 28, 2023. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
Flowers, meanwhile, appeared to be headed to Louisville before signing a contract in Australia. He appeared in two NBA games with the Bulls this season.
Nnaji’s college eligibility was confirmed last week; This was a move that mirrored other international players who had not previously enrolled at a college or university under the NCAA or appeared in an NBA game.
Barcelona’s James Nnaji takes a shot during the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season Round 34 match 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 spending time in the NBA’s G League or competing internationally to play college basketball in the United States — a trend that many prominent college basketball coaches are pushing back against.
Arkansas men’s basketball head coach John Calipari stated that no one, regardless of international status, should be allowed to play college basketball after being drafted to the pros.
“It’s simple. Rules are rules, so your name [NBA draft]“I don’t care if you’re from Russia and you’re undrafted, you can’t play college basketball,” Arkansas coach John Calipari said Monday night in a wide-ranging speech about the state of college basketball. “‘Well, it’s just for American kids.’ What? “If your name is in that draft and you get drafted, you can’t play because that’s our rule.”
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Gonzaga coach Mark Few appeared to take aim at the NCAA’s leadership structure, saying: “It’s crazy out there right now. We don’t really have any organizational or real rules right now. I think guys are just trying to do the best they can. Unless there’s a rule that says you can’t do it, it’s hard to blame anyone for what they do. Our lack of leadership really showed.”
As Baker reiterated, it remains to be seen whether the NCAA’s amateurism rules will be challenged in court.
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