Fans were not happy to see a former pro on a college basketball court.
James Nnaji, a 2023 NBA Draft selection who was granted NCAA eligibility to play for Baylor last month, suited up for his first game on Saturday, and was met with harsh boos from the crowd.
Nnaji, 21, entered Baylor’s 69-63 loss to TCU with 11:59 remaining in the first half with jeers ringing in from the stands at Schollmaier Arena, with the boos returning each time the big man had the ball in his hands.
The 7-foot center finished Saturday’s game with five points and four rebounds in 17 minutes after he exited the game following his fourth foul committed.
Baylor head coach Scott Drew noted his team was likely going to pick somebody up mid-season because of injuries affecting their squad.
“We knew that we were probably going to add somebody at the [beginning of the] semester because of season-ending injuries,” Drew said on TNT before the game. “And James ended up working out, so we’re very excited to have another healthy body.”
Drew, who has been at the helm for the Bears since 2003, has been a staunch defender of acquiring Nnaji and the NCAA’s decision to grant him college eligibility.
“As a head coach to one of the players, James did nothing wrong, Baylor did nothing wrong, and I know he’s human,” Drew said to reporters following the loss. “And again, if James was an NBA player today, he would be in the NBA.”
The reason why Nnaji was ultimately allowed to return to college hoops is due to the fact that, though being drafted, he never signed an NBA contract.
Rather than signing with the Hornets after they took him with the No. 31 pick in 2023, Nnaji opted to continue his career overseas, spending his career with FC Barcelona and splitting last season between Spain and Turkey.
Nnaji’s draft rights were later acquired by the Knicks ahead of the 2024-25 season in a three-team trade which sent Karl-Anthony Towns to New York.
Last summer, Nnaji’s agent told The Post the Nigerian big man wanted to pursue a career in the NBA, joining the Knicks’ summer league team and averaging 3.2 points and 3.6 rebounds across five contests.
“Hopefully after [the summer league], we can reach an agreement,” his agent Gerard Raventos said. “That’s the plan, from both sides. It’s 50/50, it depends how he does. He’s coming in great shape. … Everything will be based on his performances in the Summer League.”
Since Nnaji has played professional basketball however, his return to the NCAA has sparked outrage, with Arkansas head coach John Calipari voicing his discern for the decision.
“Does anybody care what this is doing for 17- and 18-year-old American kids? Do you know what this opportunity has done for them and their families? There aren’t going to be any high school kids,” Calipari told reporters on Dec. 29. “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?”
