Former NBA player James Nnaji to join the Baylor basketball roster

James Nnaji is set to join the Bears roster with immediate effect. He will join the Bears in their upcoming non-conference game against Arlington Baptist on December 29th. This news is breaking in college sports media, as Nnaji was drafted to the NBA in 2023. In the ever-changing landscape of college athletics, Baylor is now the first team to take on a player who was previously drafted to the NBA.

NEWS: 7-foot center James Nnaji, the No. 31 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, has committed to Baylor, source told @On3sports.

The 21-year-old big man will play the second half of the season and has been awarded fours of eligibility by the NCAA.https://t.co/3Qddu13Lyi pic.twitter.com/g3FyLYE1KV
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) December 24, 2025

Nnaji was drafted 31st overall in 2023 by the Detroit Pistons, who then traded his draft rights to the Charlotte Hornets. One year later, he was traded to the New York Knicks. Although he never played in a G League or NBA game, he did play in two separate NBA Summer Leagues. Nnaji appeared in six Summer League games with the Hornets in 2024, averaging 17.5 minutes, 3.8 points, four rebounds, and 0.5 assists per contest. In his summer league stint with the Knicks, he played only 12.9 minutes and averaged 3.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 0.2 assists per game.

james nnaj — James Nnaji playing for the Hornets in the Summer League | Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Nnaji has continued his professional career overseas, playing for multiple clubs in Spain, most recently with FC Barcelona, while also moving on several loan spells across Europe. Nnaji is 21 years old and will have 4 years of eligibility, as he has never played NCAA basketball.

Nnaji will be an immediate impact player for the Bears, as he will slot in as a much-needed Center for Scott Drew. With the loss of Juslin Bodo-Bodo for much of the non-conference slate, and presumably the Big 12 schedule, Nnaji is coming in right on time for the Bears' rotation. This will now extend the Bears' rotation to 8 men rather than the weaker 7-man rotation they have been playing with all year.

NEWS: James Nnaji, the No. 31 pick in the 2023 NBA draft, has enrolled at Baylor, agents Gerard Raventos and Deirunas Visockas of Gersh Sports told DraftExpress.

A monumental development: a former NBA draft pick is immediately eligible to play college basketball this season. pic.twitter.com/8S9aK6MWR3
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) December 24, 2025

This addition will also take the load off Michael Rataj, who has started as the feature big man for the Bears all season. While it remains to be seen whether Nnaji will immediately start for the Bears, the opportunity to pair him with Michael Rataj would give Baylor a new dominant look on both ends of the floor. The combination has the potential to reshape the Bears’ offense and defense while being reminiscent of Baylor teams from recent years that featured elite, dominant backcourts.

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