NCAA President Charlie Baker draws firm line on college eligibility for players with NBA contracts

The NCAA’s presumption connected eligibility for athletes whose inheritance includes NBA acquisition has been firmly placed nether the microscope successful 2025.

The organization’s stance was called into question aft James Nnaji joined the Baylor men’s hoops team. Nnaji’s determination was compounded by reports that Trentyn Flowers, a rookie connected a two-way declaration with the Chicago Bulls, was allegedly pursuing NCAA eligibility.

Just up of New Year’s Eve, NCAA President Charlie Baker drew a steadfast enactment connected assemblage eligibility for erstwhile student-athletes who summation NBA experience. 

"The NCAA has not and volition not assistance eligibility to immoderate prospective oregon returning student-athletes who person signed an NBA declaration (including a two-way contract)," Baker said Tuesday.

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NCAA president and erstwhile Massachusetts politician Charlie Baker is interviewed by Boston Globe Sports writer Chris Gasper astatine the Globe Summit 2023.  (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

"While the NCAA has prevailed connected the immense bulk of eligibility-related lawsuits, caller outlier decisions enjoining the NCAA connected a nationwide ground from enforcing rules that person been connected the books for decades — without adjacent having a proceedings — are wildly destabilizing. I volition beryllium moving with DI leaders successful the weeks up to support assemblage hoops from these misguided attempts to destruct this American institution."

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Baylor confirmed that Nnaji signed with the programme connected Christmas Eve. The determination came astir 2 and a fractional years aft the Detroit Pistons selected Nnaji successful the 2nd circular of the NBA Draft.

Nnaji has competed successful the NBA summertime league but has yet to look successful an NBA regular-season game. However, helium does person acquisition playing astatine the nonrecreational level, having spent 5 years successful the EuroLeague. Nnaji’s NBA rights were included successful a three-team woody that sent his rights to the New York Knicks. The transaction besides moved Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Knicks.

The NCAA logo connected entranceway motion extracurricular the NCAA Headquarters connected Feb. 28, 2023 successful Indianapolis, Indiana.  (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Flowers appeared to beryllium heading to Louisville earlier agreeing to a declaration successful Australia. He has appeared successful 2 NBA games this play with the Bulls.

Nnaji’s collegiate eligibility received clearance past week, a determination that mirrored different planetary players who did not antecedently enroll successful a assemblage oregon assemblage nether the NCAA’s scope oregon look successful an NBA game.

James Nnaji of Barcelona takes a changeable during the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season Round 34 lucifer betwixt LDLC Asvel Villeurbanne and FC Barcelona astatine LDLC Arena connected April 12, 2024 successful Lyon, France. (Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)

There is simply a increasing database of athletes who spent clip successful the NBA’s G League oregon competed astatine the planetary level seeking to play assemblage hoops successful the U.S. — a inclination respective salient assemblage hoops coaches person spoken retired against.

Arkansas men’s hoops caput manager John Calipari stated that nary 1 should beryllium permitted to play assemblage hoops aft being drafted into the pros, careless of planetary status.

"Real simple. The rules beryllium the rules, truthful if you enactment your sanction successful the [NBA draft], I don't attraction if you're from Russia and you enactment successful the draft, you can't play assemblage basketball," Arkansas manager John Calipari said successful a wide-ranging rant connected the authorities of assemblage hoops Monday night. "'Well, that's lone for American kids.' What? If your sanction is successful that draught and you got drafted, you can't play due to the fact that that's our rule."

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Gonzaga manager Mark Few appeared to instrumentality purpose astatine the NCAA's enactment operation saying: "It's chaotic retired determination close now. We truly don't person immoderate organizational oregon immoderate existent rules close now. I deliberation guys are conscionable trying to bash immoderate they can. Until there's a regularisation that says you can't bash it, it's hard to blasted anybody for doing what they're doing. Our deficiency of enactment has truly shown."

It remains unclear whether the NCAA’s amateurism rules, arsenic reiterated by Baker, volition beryllium challenged successful court.

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