The trend of former professional basketball players seeking NCAA eligibility is taking over the college basketball world.
Former NBA draft pick James Nnaji (selected 31st overall in the 2023 NBA Draft) was granted four years of eligibility by the NCAA in December and currently plays for Baylor after playing basketball professionally overseas.
Charles Bediako has played the last two games for Alabama after leaving the program early to enter the 2023 NBA Draft. While Bediako never played in the NBA, he signed a two-way deal with multiple NBA teams and played in the G League for the last three seasons, including earlier this month. He was recently granted a temporary restraining order (which was extended due to weather issues) that allows him to play for the Crimson Tide ahead of a Feb. 6 court hearing. The drama over his status has also carried over to AP poll voting.
And on Friday, news emerged that former UCLA player Amari Bailey is attempting to become the first player to return to college basketball after playing in NBA games. Bailey, selected 41st overall in the 2023 NBA Draft, played in 10 games for the Charlotte Hornets in the 2023-24 season.
The Bailey news led to college basketball analyst Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68 sounding off on Saturday.
“The moment you check into an NBA regular season game, your college eligibility is gone. You can never play college basketball again.” @GoodmanHoops on the current eligibility issues in college basketball 👀
🎥: https://t.co/JlIYdTUyeZ pic.twitter.com/croEZn5XYT
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) January 31, 2026
“Number one should be, the moment you check into an NBA regular-season game, you are done,” Goodman said. “Your eligibility is gone. You can never play college basketball. That should be the easiest thing, in my mind, to be able to do. Should be. Like, even a judge, anybody should be able to interpret that.”
“You are a pro. You played in an NBA game,” Goodman continued. “It’s over! It’s over! The dream is over of going back to college! Turn the page. Turn the f-ing page.”
Goodman explained why he completely understands why pro players who struggle to make the NBA are looking to return to college.
“We’ve got 10, 20 dudes, who still have a year left next year, that have played NBA games, that aren’t making real money right now in the league; they’re either jumping around on a two-way, or G League, or overseas, but they played 10, 20, 30 games, and they’re all looking right now to come back right now,” Goodman said. “Why wouldn’t you? Why wouldn’t you? If you’re making $200-300,000 overseas, or $75,000 in the G League, and somebody’s saying, ‘Yeah, we’re going to pay you $2 million next year in college,’ I don’t care how demeaning you think it might be to go backwards. For $2 million? You’re doing it. You’re doing it. So I don’t blame them either.”
“But, again, it should be so clear-cut- like, the moment you check in for an NBA game, it’s over,” Goodman explained. “It’s over.”
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.