Legendary college basketball coach rips NCAA as NBA draft pick is allowed to play for school

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College basketball coaching legend Tom Izzo didn’t hold back when asked about James Nnaji returning to Baylor after being selected in the NBA Draft but never having played a game for a team.

Nnaji announced he would return to the Bears after a stint at FC Barcelona. He was selected by the Detroit Pistons in 2023 and was traded twice during his career. He was a part of the trade that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks before the 2024-25 season.

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Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo protests a call that benefitted the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first half at Jack Breslin Student Events Center on Dec. 2, 2025. (Dale Young/Imagn Images)

But Nnaji is part of a growing trend of former college basketball players, with NCAA eligibility remaining, returning to school following stints in the G League or elsewhere. Izzo suggested on Saturday he’s had enough of it.

"Now we’re taking guys that were drafted in the NBA and everything," the Michigan State men’s basketball coach said, via the Detroit Free Press. "I said it to you a month and a half ago – c’mon Magic (Johnson) and Gary (Harris), let’s go baby, let’s do it. Why not? I mean, 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 gonna do what they gotta do, I guess. But the NCAA is the one. Those people on those committees that are making those decisions to allow something so ridiculous and not think of the kid.

James Nnaji of Barcelona takes a shot during the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season Round 34 match between LDLC Asvel Villeurbanne