NCAA president breaks silence on college basketball eligibility mess

Player eligibility in college sports has become a thorny and occasionally confusing issue in recent years, with athletes staying in school longer and entering the college ranks from non-traditional backgrounds.

This week, the NCAA aimed to add some clarity to the matter.

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In a statement released Tuesday, Dec. 30, NCAA president Charlie Baker said the NCAA “has not and will not” grant eligibility to prospective or returning men’s college basketball players who have signed an NBA contract or a two-way deal with an NBA franchise and its G League affiliate.

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The clarification comes about a week after Baylor announced the signing of center James Nnaji, the No. 31 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft who has spent the past five years playing in the EuroLeague. Though Nnaji has played in the NBA Summer League, he has never played in an NBA game. Because of that, he was ruled eligible by the NCAA and is expected to play for Baylor this season.

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“As schools are increasingly recruiting individuals with international league experience, the NCAA is exercising discretion in applying the actual and necessary expenses bylaw to ensure that prospective student-athletes with experience in American basketball leagues are not at a disadvantage compared to their international counterparts,” Baker said in a statement he posted to social media. “Rules have long permitted schools to enroll and play individuals with no prior collegiate experience midyear. While the NCAA has prevailed on the vast majority of eligibility-related lawsuits, recent outlier decisions enjoining the NCAA on a nationwide basis from enforcing rules that have been on the books for decades — without even having a trial — are wildly destabilizing. I will be working with DI leaders in the weeks ahead to protect college basketball from these…

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Publish date : 2025-12-31 14:17:00

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