Baylor’s signing of James Nnaji has officially blurred the line between collegiate and professional sports. After being drafted at No. 31 in the 2023 draft and as part of the Karl Anthony Towns trade, he has made his way to college. His arrival in the circuit was met with roars of disappointment and anger from coaches. Now, the fans have made a clear statement on where they stand. 

James Nnaji is only able to play because of a technicality. Despite being drafted, he never signed an NBA contract. He started out in the Hungarian leagues before joining Barcelona in 2020. Since being drafted in the NBA, he has been loaned out twice to teams in Spain and Türkiye, while his NBA rights have been traded to the Charlotte Hornets, then the New York Knicks. Now, the draftee has made history, and the fans don’t like it.

“We knew that we were probably going to add somebody at the [beginning of the] semester because of season-ending injuries,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said on TNT before the game. “And James ended up working out, so we’re very excited to have another healthy body.”

The 21-year-old Baylor signee made his official debut against TCU, and the fans were waiting. After Nnaji checked in, the 6,892-strong crowd at the Schollmaier Arena started booing him immediately. The boos were prevalent every time Nnaji touched the ball. This could continue wherever Baylor plays next and possibly, even at home. 

Still, head coach Scott Drew stood firm, insisting there was nothing improper about how his team handled the situation.

“It was a little more than I thought,” Drew said regarding the overall reaction to the James Nnaji signing. “Yeah, as a head coach to one of the players, I mean, James did nothing wrong. Baylor did nothing wrong. I know he’s human. And just making sure he doesn’t feel that. And again, if James were an NBA player today, he would be in the NBA.” 

The real issue lies with the NCAA, not Baylor. The rules were already murky, and if Baylor hadn’t acted first, another program eventually would have. So, whether we like it or not, James Nnaji now has four years of eligibility, though his first appearance didn’t quite match what fans had imagined.

James Nnaji Still Rusty After Arriving At Baylor

Since Nnaji is a draftee and has played internationally, fans expected him to blow up almost immediately. He scored his first points on a putback dunk in the first half and became the first NBA draftee in history to score points in college basketball in decades. The only such widely known phenomenon is Larry Bird, who was drafted by the Celtics in his junior year in the 1978 draft. 

However, at the time, the NBA allowed a team to draft certain players and hold their rights while they finished college. Bird played out his senior year at Indiana State before returning to Boston. But in the modern era, Nnaji is the first one. The 21-year-old Nigerian finished with 5 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist, exiting after picking up his fourth foul with 4:42 remaining. Baylor eventually lost the game 69-63, falling to a 10-3 overall record and a 0-1 record in the Big 12. 

Drew explained that Nnaji will eventually make an impact for his side, but it will take some more time and reps.

“He got here after Christmas,” Drew said of Nnaji. “He has not played 5-on-5 since the summer. So, if you take seven months off, it’s going to take some time.”

So, however good a player is, competitive reps are a requirement. He is physically at the same level as the rest of his college competition, and still has to adapt to the system and the pace of the game. Drew hopes that his future performances will make enduring this backlash worth it.