Two years after being selected with the 31st overall pick in the NBA draft, center James Nnaji has enrolled at Baylor and will be immediately eligible to play college basketball this season, his agents at Gersh Sports tell Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter link).
It’s a development that’s unprecedented in recent NCAA history, further blurring the line between college and professional basketball. Nnaji, who was originally drafted by the Hornets in 2023, had his rights traded to the Knicks in last year’s three-team Karl-Anthony Towns blockbuster, but has yet to sign his first NBA contract, having continued to play overseas since being drafted.
It has become increasingly common for international prospects to come stateside and join NCAA programs after playing for professional teams in Europe. However, up until this point, that was happening before the player was selected in the NBA draft, not after.
The NCAA has granted Nnaji four years of college eligibility, according to Joe Tipton of On3. The decision could open the door for other draft-and-stash prospects to take a similar path going forward.
Nnaji, 21, was under contract with FC Barcelona in Spain for several seasons before parting ways with the team this past summer. The big man also spent time with Merkezefendi Basket in Turkey and Girona, another Spanish team, while on loan from Barcelona.
In 2024/25, Nnaji appeared in 14 Spanish League (Liga ACB) games for Girona, averaging 5.3 points and 4.1 rebounds in 16.2 minutes per contest. He also suited up for the Knicks’ Summer League team in July, averaging 3.2 PPG and 3.6 RPG across five outings in Las Vegas. It was his second appearance at Vegas Summer League, as he also played for the Hornets’ team in 2023.
As Tipton observes, Baylor’s frontcourt has been hit hard by injuries this season, so Nnaji – a rim-running, defensive-minded center – has a path to a significant role for the Bears in the second half of 2025/26. The Knicks, who continue to hold his NBA rights, figure to be closely monitoring his progress and will no longer have to travel overseas to scout him in person.
So he could be 25 making NIL money playing against 18 year olds cool
So are we saying not related to Zeke Nnaji?!
Major misstep not enrolling at Villanova
Major? Baylor has a pretty good program.
Knicks reference
I honestly did not even realize this was an option since he’d been drafted!
Weird that you are drafted. And you are still able to do this. The NCAA and other schools should stop this. Didn’t he play SL ball for Knicks. Yes he did just never signed a contract. The only thing he could want here. Is first rd money. Guaranteed for 3 yrs to 5 yrs. He can make his case his first yr. Can even shoot for the lottery lols.
He can’t re-enter the draft again. The Knicks still hold his NBA rights.
So it’s not financial. Thanks Luke.
Don’t get it then. He can learn more in G-league
If his future doesn’t involve professional basketball then he’ll learn a lot more in four years at Baylor.
He can get his degree and play ball. The NBA has programs to help all players.
Actually, Baylor has a really good head coach. Gleague players are signed by the league. As shown by the first iteration of the Ignite, they really don’t care about development. They basically played in a 2nd rate 24 Fitness.
Unlike the NHL and MLB, the NBA doesn’t employ past players to work with players on specific skills.
Teams own their G-league teams. They run their systems there. They select the coaches. So it is a direct developmental process essentially for teams today. For a baseball fan. You sure dont know squat about developing basketball players.
Yes, all 30 NBA teams now own or operate their own G League affiliate as of the 2024-25 season, creating a direct developmental system where NBA teams control player growth, coaching, and team management for their minor league squad, with only one independent team (Mexico City Capitanes) remaining in the league. This ensures closer proximity for player movement and resource sharing, making the G League a vital part of NBA player development.
Crazy as it is, he’ll make more money at Baylor than he has in the GLeague.
Probably get better coaching, too.
Still find it weird. He was allowed to play in SL for a pro team. When other draft picks can’t. You have to pull out of draft by certain time. If you want to go back to college. This is a bad precedent. Once you commit to NBA you shouldn’t be able to go back. Otherwise you have to give all colleges the chance to recruit him. I don’t like it.
He can make more in NCAA nil money
Summer League contracts are just for the summer. I doubt they have anything to do with the actual clubs. It is considered more of an exhibition series.
SL is NBA teams playing to see their picks and FAs in a competitive competition. Its a way to introduce new players to NBA and looking for missed talent out there. Plenty of undrafted players. Have made it to NBA thru SL.
Saw this guy up close in games. He has an impressive frame, but not much basketball skill.
He could have a nice career in college with his physicality.
He never signed an NBA contract (summer league contracts don’t count, but either a two-way or an Exhibit 10 would count).
I don’t know if signing a G-league contract alone would make him NCAA ineligible. Either way, I’m guessing he can make more $$ at Baylor.
Isn’t a G-league contract a pro contract. When you are drafted. Don’t know what he signed or didn’t sign. I know Knicks own his rights. From the Towns trade. Imo if he didn’t play in SL. Then he could do what he wants. I thought NCAA had rules for this. Doesn’t seem fair to other schools.
The NCAA’s rules on amateurism have changed some, but those rules never precluded NCAA eligibility based solely on an NBA team holding a player’s NBA draft rights. A player can only lose NCAA eligibility based on the player’s actions (not what the NBA does).
So the question is what did Nnaji do to possibly kill his NCAA eligibility? The Summer League contract? That’s the least of it. The concept of amateurs signing on to play with professionals for a brief period of time within certain parameters has been all over sports for quite some time.
Nnaji also signed full season (real) contracts with European clubs (also professional teams). Fortunately for him, the NCAA has long allowed players to play for these European teams within parameters and retain NCAA eligibility.
While there is no indication Nnaji ever signed a G-league deal, I believe that the NCAA may now treat G-league teams the same as the European teams. At least they stated it was their intent to do this in at least one other context. Of course, that would NOT apply to a 2-way contract, which would be (in part) with the NBA team. But a pure G-league contract might be OK. ** LUKE, do you know? **
Nnaji’s biggest offense, historically, was that he declared for the draft and stayed in it. At one point, this alone would have killed his eligibility, but the NCAA now has certain “unwind” provisions which permit a player to go through the full draft process and, as long as he cuts all professional ties, allow him to recapture eligibility.
A G League contract on its own wouldn’t necessarily prevent a player from enrolling in an NCAA program — Thierry Darlan was able to do it earlier this year.
But Darlan withdrew from the 2025 draft after playing in the G League. There’s no precedent yet for a player being drafted (without having gone to college), then signing a G League contract, THEN enrolling in a college program. I’m honestly not sure if that would fly.
Maybe just taking classes. Good for him. Basketball is a dream most don’t achieve.
I don’t see a problem. He has a right to get an education so why shouldn’t he be able to get paid to play a little ball while he’s doing it?