How NIL Is Redefining Eligibility in College Basketball

By: Manny Shklar

February 16, 2026

Photo Credit: Associated Press

Name, Image, and Likeness, better known as NIL, began in 2021 as a way for college athletes to make money for their various sponsorships, similarly to how it is done in professional sports. This started as a set of regulations allowing players to receive compensation for appearing in various events, such as video games, on magazine covers, and many more forms of media.

While NIL has many benefits, it has also complicated things in terms of eligibility, as many athletes continuously fight to stay in school for more time. Whether it was missing a year for the COVID shutdown, or even just missing time for an injury, we are seeing college athletes across all sports fight to stay in college. Many athletes do this in order to raise their draft stock with another year of development or to make more money than they would after graduation. Fast forward to 2026, we are now seeing college basketball players who have already been drafted to the NBA attempting to return to school, as they’ll get more exposure and the chance to earn more money through different deals.

The first instance of this occurred when James Nnaji, the 31st pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, announced that he was committing to Baylor University, despite having played in the NBA Summer League before. Technically, Nnaji didn’t break any rules as he meets the NCAA’s eligibility requirements, which include being within five years of your high school graduation as well as not being on an active professional contract. Despite this, Baylor and the 21-year-old center faced backlash from fans as well as established figures in college basketball, like Michigan State’s Tom Izzo. When asked by ESPN about Nnaji, Izzo did not hold back, as he accused the NCAA of being “afraid they're going to get sued.” Even with the abundance of complaints, Nnaji has been playing this season, though his unimpressive stat lines have led many to step down from their stances.

The situation took a big turn in January, as Amari Bailey followed suit and redeclared for college. This marked uncharted territory, as Bailey would become the first athlete to score a bucket and log playing time in the NBA before later returning to college. The former UCLA star played one year of college basketball and 10 games in the NBA with the Charlotte Hornets on a two-way contract, but he was released and spent time in the NBA’s G-League most recently. Like Nnaji, Bailey is just 21 years old and would be a college senior, plus he meets the same requirements, so he isn’t breaking any other rules. Bailey has already scheduled an official visit to Grand Canyon University and also hopes to visit UCLA but is receiving backlash from fans and coaches alike, similarly to Nnaji.

In order to regain eligibility, these athletes must hire lawyers and take the NCAA to court to argue for extra time. The NCAA’s vice president of external affairs, Tim Buckley, detailed to ESPN that the NCAA will refuse to grant any eligibility to athletes who have previously signed an NBA contract, which would directly prevent Bailey’s return. Many more former professional basketball players are expected to follow these trailblazers back into the college basketball world, but coaches and fans will continue to publicly bash the league as long as they allow these returns.

The NCAA has begun to hold strong though, as Alabama’s Charles Bedaiko was denied eligibility on February 9th, despite having already played multiple games this season. It is entirely possible that this ruling will set a new precedent for player eligibility rules and the NCAA may listen to its fans and coaches as they continue to navigate the situation.