Once you go pro stepping back down is not an option, right? Well, apparently not in college basketball. In recent news, the NCAA has officially turned amateur basketball on its head by allowing former pro players to compete at a college level.
“Who other than dumb people like me are going to recruit high school kids? I get so much satisfaction out of coaching young kids and seeing them grow and make it — and their family and life changes — that I’m going to keep doing it. But why would anybody else, if you can get NBA players, G League players, guys that are 28 years old, guys from Europe? Do we really know their transcript? Do we have somebody over there? Do we really know their birth certificate or don’t we?” John Calipari said after Arkansas hammered James Madison 103-74.
Although for UConn’s Dan Hurley, Gonzaga’s Mark Few and Michigan State’s Tom Izzo are sticklers for playing by the rules, you could imagine how they felt about the rule change “Now we’re taking guys that were drafted in the NBA,” Izzo said “If that’s what we’re going to do, shame on the NCAA. Shame on the coaches, too. But shame on the NCAA. Because coaches are going to do what they’ve got to do, I guess.”
Calipari did set a boundary that does not allow any exceptions to players who have entered the NBA draft “Real simple. The rules be the rules, so if you put your name in the NBA draft, I don’t care if you’re from Russia and you stay in the draft, you can’t play college basketball,”
Charlie Baker the NCAA’s president posted a statement on social media addressing the issues on eligibility “The NCAA has not and will not grant eligibility to any prospective or returning student-athletes who have signed an NBA contract, the NCAA is exercising discretion in applying the actual and necessary expenses bylaw to ensure that prospective student-athletes with experience in American basketball leagues are not at a disadvantage compared to their international counterparts.”
According to the Wall Street Journal, since early 2026, “college basketball experienced former professional players, including those with NBA G League and international experience, returning to NCAA rosters. Driven by NIL opportunities and legal challenges to NCAA eligibility rules, players like Charles Bediako (Alabama), James Nnaji (Baylor), and London Johnson (Louisville) have returned, sparking debate about fairness and control.”
Will this rule change effect rookie players coming into college? Where is the NCAA headed with these pros? We’ll find out soon!
