Baylor has just bagged the 24th-best NBA prospect on ESPN, but not for the 2026 draft. James Nnaji was picked at No.31 by the Detroit Pistons after impressing with Barcelona in Spain and being among the top prospects of the class. His rights were moved to Charlotte at the time. Now, the 21-year-old is joining college basketball as he has committed to playing with Baylor.

“7-foot center James Nnaji has committed to Baylor and will play the second half of the season with the Bears,” Joe Tipton reported. “He’s been granted four years of eligibility by the NCAA.” To clarify, he was not technically an NBA player. Despite being drafted, he never signed a standard NBA contract. 

In 2024, his rights were moved to the New York Knicks as part of the three-team Karl-Anthony Towns trade. Nnaji continued playing overseas, much like multiple college players today.

He has played with Barcelona, Merkezefendi, and Girona in the last three years. The center averaged 5.3 points and 4.7 rebounds last season. 

Before Barcelona released Nnaji, he played five games in the NBA 2K26 Summer League with the New York Knicks, averaging 3.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 0.6 steals, 0.2 assists, and 0.2 blocks per contest.

Naturally, a former NBA draftee rejoining college is a very unique phenomenon, and the fans are immediately on the NCAA’s case, asking them about the legality of this signing. 

Fans Question NCAA As James Nnaji Arrives At Baylor

“Can someone please explain? I know there’s like no rules in the NCAA anymore, but I thought it was very strict that once you declare for the draft, you CANNOT return?” Asked a fan.

This is the first time an NBA draftee has returned to college basketball in recent history. The rules around eligibility are murky. NCAA may have awarded a special exemption to Nnaji, but the grounds for that are not known. 

Because a memorandum from the NCAA (February 21 2025) clearly states: “A men’s basketball student-athlete may jeopardize his NCAA eligibility IF: 9) He enters the NBA Draft AND is drafted by a professional team.”

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While James Nnaji did not sign an NBA contract, he entered the 2023 draft and was drafted by a professional team, which should disqualify him from returning to college. 

Another factor complicating the situation is Nnaji’s international background.

Having never played U.S. college basketball before and having developed entirely within overseas systems, the NCAA may have treated his case differently from that of a traditional American prospect who leaves college for the NBA Draft.

G-League players like Thierry Darlan and London Johnson, but an NBA draftee is a little too far even for Jeff Goodman. “It’s hard to blame Scott Drew or any of the college coaches for this if it’s allowed by the NCAA.

However, it has become a complete joke now because there are no rules in place anymore. It’s just “make it up as you go” now. And where does it end?” He wrote. 

Traditionally, college basketball should be the stepping stone to being a professional. That was the definition for the NCAA. Now, multiple players earn more money than the ‘professionals’ in the NBA.

That is a side effect of the NIL and a core reason why such moves are taking place. 

“James Nnaji couldn’t get to the NBA, so now it looks like his agents are: 1) Trying to get him back on the NBA radar and doing what they can to get his stock up.  2) Trying to get him (and them) paid,” wrote Goodman.

As Goodman wrote, the players, teams, and stakeholders are only able to exploit this because the NCAA allows it. 

“This is absolutely embarrassing for the NCAA,” wrote another fan. The decision has terrible optics, regardless of whether it’s correct or not. The organisation is shaking the very foundation it is built on. They have set a dangerous precedent that other players could exploit in the future.

Some fans believe college basketball is now competing with the G League due to such midseason additions. It also brings up even more questions.

“The most interesting implication: could an NBA team draft a freshman and send him back to school for his sophomore year?” Asked a fan.

Do the Knicks retain his draft rights? Can he enter the NBA draft twice? These are all questions the NCAA must answer or risk descending into complete chaos.