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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 playing a game for a team.
Nnaji announced that he would return to the Bears after one season with FC Barcelona. He was drafted by the Detroit Pistons in 2023 and was traded twice during his career. He was part of the trade that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks ahead of the 2024-25 season.
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Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo protests a call that benefited the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first half at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center on Dec. 2, 2025. (Dale Young/Image Images)
But Nnaji is part of a growing trend of former college basketball players, still with NCAA eligibility, returning to school after stints in the G League or elsewhere. Izzo suggested Saturday that he had had enough.
“Now we’re taking guys that were drafted in the NBA and all that,” the Michigan State men’s basketball coach said, via the Detroit Free Press. “I told you a month and a half ago: Come on, Magic (Johnson) and Gary (Harris), come on 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 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 are making those decisions to allow something so ridiculous and not think about the kid.
James Nnaji of Barcelona takes a shot during the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season Round 34 match between LDLC Asvel Villeurbanne and FC Barcelona at LDLC Arena on April 12, 2024 in Lyon, France. (Eurasia Sports Images/Getty Images)
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“So everyone talks about me thinking about my program or being selfish. No. Let’s be clear, for all of you. I’m thinking about what would be best for my son if he were in that position. And I just don’t agree with that.”
Izzo maintained that he wasn’t going to fight the growing trend, but he also wasn’t going to let it pass without sharing his thoughts on the subject. He argued that if college basketball is going to be more like the professional ranks, then it should go all-in instead of dipping a toe or two into those waters.
James Nnaji of FC Barcelona in action during the warm-up prior to match 1 of the 2023/2024 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Play Offs between FC Barcelona and Olympiacos Piraeus at Palau Blaugrana on April 24, 2024 in Barcelona, Spain. (Rodolfo Molina/Euroleague basketball)
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He expressed similar sentiments in October, when the first class of G League players returned to school.
