What you need to know about former professional basketball players who are eligible for college

Recently, there has been an increase in formers NBA G League players and international professionals get the green light to play college basketball across the country, sparking widespread debate about whether it should be allowed.

Under NCAA rules, basketball athletes can apply for college eligibility if they maintain “amateur status” – five years or less since high school graduation; NCAA qualifiers out of high school; did not enter the NBA draft (or did, but never signed an NBA contract).

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo recently spoke about this issue later Baylor received a commitment from James Nnaji31st overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, on Christmas Eve. The 21-year-old Nnaji, a 7-foot center from Nigeria, was given immediate eligibility as a midseason addition and will have four more years.

Nnaji never actually played in the NBA or the G League, the NBA’s developmental league, but he appeared in five NBA Summer League games for New York Knicks July and played professionally abroad last season. He was even part of the monster three-team trade that was delivered Karl-Anthony Towns for the Knicks for Julius Randle that the Minnesota Timberwolves in October 2024; trade included i Donte DiVincenzo and draft assets, including the rights to Nnaji and the Knicks’ top 13 protected 2025 first-round pick. Detroit Pistons.

“I thought I’d seen the worst – then Christmas came,” Izzo said. “What happened just topped that. … Now we’re taking guys who are drafted into the NBA and all that? … If that’s what we’re going to do, shame on the NCAA. Shame on the coaches, but shame on the NCAA because the coaches are going to do what they have to do, I guess, but the NCAA is the one.”

“Those people on those committees that make those decisions to allow something so ridiculous … I just don’t agree with that.”

Baylor coach Scott Drew responded to Iso’s comments, saying he was simply rolling with the punches.

Coach Izzo and I are friends,” Drew said. “I have a lot of respect for him. … Like he said, most coaches are 99% aligned on the things we’d like to see in our game. At the same time … until we get to collective bargaining, I don’t think we can come up with rules that are acceptable (and) enforceable until then.

“I think we all … have to be willing to adjust and adapt to what’s out there. At first, when he first came out with the G League players, I wasn’t for it either. But, again, we don’t make the rules. As we learn about things, we’re always going to adjust to put our program in the best position to be successful.”

College coaches far and wide have been largely critical. PurdueMatt Painter was “at a loss for words,” by Sports Illustratedwhen he first heard the news and at first thought it was a joke.

“We just want to know the rules so we can follow them,” Painter said. “We don’t know what’s going on.”

Saint John coach Rick Pitino joked on social media that he had “first dibs” on the two-time MVP of the NBA Giannis Antetokounmpo. “So let’s get this straight, we can recruit G League players now? Is the NBA next?” Pitino wrote.

On the other hand, the first year Auburn coach Stephen Pearl is in the minority.

“It’s a waste of time to complain about it,” said Pearl, according to The Athletic. “If there’s a hole that you can figure out and use to help make your team better, you’ve got to do that. I think what Louisville (did) is brilliant. Those guys are creative thinkers and they’re trying to find ways to be ahead of the curve.

“Every day, every week, (the rules) change. So you have to fight with it.”

Nnaji’s latest college commitment reignited a debate that has been gaining momentum of late.

In September, the NCAA ruled the 21-year-old guard Thierry Darlan meet the requirements to join Saint Clare despite his professional track record, which included two years in the G League after training at the NBA Africa Academy in Senegal. Darlan was the first former G League player to dress in a college game and became the face of a growing trend across the country.

In October, the NCAA decided to allow 21-year-old guard London Johnson to join Louisville the following year with two seasons of eligibility despite playing three years in the G League.

In November, the NCAA decided to allow 22-yard senior center Abdullah Ahmed, who spent the past two years in the G League, to join BIU next season. He has been granted at least two, probably three years of eligibility, per Yahoo Sports.

How many more players will join this rapidly growing list? Only time will tell.

Want great stories delivered straight to your inbox? Create or sign in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized daily newsletter!