Why the NCAA is unwilling to fight to keep pros out of college basketball

Only a few months ago, James Nnaji faced a career crossroads.

A Summer League audition with the New York Knicks hadn’t produced so much as an invitation to training camp, let alone his first NBA contract.

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Since the salaries top college players were making dwarfed what Nnaji could earn overseas, the Nigerian 7-footer and his agent hatched an audacious plan. They began to explore the unprecedented possibility of going from the 31st pick in the 2023 NBA Draft at 18 to entering college basketball at 21.

Desperate for a big man after losing its projected starting center to a season-ending arm injury during the summer, Baylor targeted Nnaji as soon as he became available and began working to try to get the NCAA to clear him to play. Nnaji made his collegiate debut in Baylor’s Big 12 opener at TCU this past Saturday, checking in eight minutes into the first half to an onslaught of jeers and boos.

Granting Nnaji immediate eligibility is the most extreme example yet of the NCAA’s reluctance to fight to keep professional players out of the college game. The NCAA had previously given colleges the greenlight to recruit prospects with experience playing in the G League or top overseas professional leagues. Now the governing body is also rolling out the red carpet for someone who once guarded Victor Wembanyama in a Summer League game, someone who was once a throw-in in the trade that shipped Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks.

“It’s wild out there right now,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few told reporters last week.

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“We don’t have any rules,” Arkansas coach John Calipari lamented during a recent news conference.

“Santa Claus is delivering mid-season acquisitions,” UConn coach Dan Hurley quipped on social media. “This s— is crazy!!”

Just when many joked Arizona might want to reach out to LeBron James about playing alongside his son Bryce next season, NCAA president Charlie Baker at last drew a firm line. The NCAA will not grant college eligibility to any…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/mens-college-basketball/article/why-the-ncaa-is-unwilling-to-fight-to-keep-pros-out-of-college-basketball-160216784.html

Author : Jeff Eisenberg

Publish date : 2026-01-06 16:02:00

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