Former 1st-Round NBA Draft Pick Commits to Baylor, How is James Nnaji Eligible?

Nigerian center James Nnaji is enrolling at Baylor with an eye toward suiting up for the Bears this season, and head coach Scott Drew responded to criticism of the decision on Monday.

DraftExpress' Jonathan Givony first reported the news on Wednesday.

The Detroit Pistons selected Nnaji with the 31st overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, but he has yet to play in the league. He has instead competed professionally in Europe.

This yet another example of how the paradigm is shifting in terms of eligibility.

In September, the NCAA allowed Thierry Darlan to play college ball despite the fact he had signed with the NBA G League Ignite out of high school. Former G League teammate London Johnson followed his lead in October.

Neither Darlan nor Johnson had been selected in the NBA draft, though.

With Nnaji, fans are bound to question whether a door to college basketball should remain open. He may not have signed with any NBA team, but the Pistons, Charlotte Hornets and New York Knicks have all held his contract rights. He was on New York's NBA Summer League roster this offseason.

Connecticut men's coach Dan Hurley appeared equally stunned:

Nnaji has spent the bulk of his pro career at FC Barcelona, but he split the 2024-25 campaign between Bàsquet Girona and Turkish team Yukatel Merkezefendi. Across 22 domestic league games, the 21-year-old averaged 6.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and one block in 16.3 minutes per contest.

Baylor is off to a 9-2 start and will open Big 12 play on Jan. 3 against TCU. Nnaji will provide much-needed size for the Bears as they enter the meat of their schedule. Of the 10 players who have seen the floor for head coach Scott Drew, Michael Rataj (6'9") and Caden Powell (6'10") are the only two who are taller than 6'6".

The impact of Nnaji's decision will be much bigger on the sport as a whole because more players could try to take a similarly circuitous route back to college.