College was always meant to be a step for athletes to help them elevate to the professional league. But with the way things have unfolded in the last month, it seems like players are going professional after their stints at the NCAA, only to come back. Just when fans had finished processing the James Nnaji decision, Charles Bediako had his return approved by a court. And now, a few days later, another player has officially dropped his name in the eligibility hat, but this one comes with an actual NBA experience.

After representing the UCLA Bruins in the 2022-23 season, where he averaged 11.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game, while shooting 49.5% from the field and 38.9% from beyond the arc. He was named to the All-Pac-12 team after leading the Bruins to a Sweet Sixteen appearance. As per the latest updates, Amari Bailey is now seeking a return to college basketball.

If his attempt becomes successful,  it will make him the first basketball player to return to college after playing in NBA games.

The whole mess arises from the fact that the former Bruins guard was selected as the No. 41 overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2023 NBA Draft. There he went on to make 10 career appearances during his rookie season, averaging 2.3 points in 6.5 minutes per game.

And that alone has made his attempt feel like the true breaking point. But that’s not how he sees it.

“Right now I’d be a senior in college,” Amari Bailey told ESPN. “I’m not trying to be 27 years old playing college athletics. No shade to the guys that do; that’s their journey. But I went to go play professionally and learned a lot, went through a lot. So, like, why not me?”

However, fans have had enough, as they took to social media to voice their frustrations.

A case that could redefine college basketball

Let me give you a quick summary of what has happened in the past few days:

• Nnaji was allowed back into college basketball to play for Baylor after going professional because he never signed an official NBA contract or played in an NBA game, despite being drafted in 2023 and spending time playing overseas.
• Bediako, who also never appeared in an NBA game but still spent the last three years in the G League, got a temporary restraining order from the courts just to suit up again and play for Alabama.

Those rulings alone caused league-wide outrage, prompting even the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) to hold emergency discussions with NCAA officials.

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But Bailey? He has actually played. So fans across the college basketball world flooded social media with panic, frustration, and disbelief.

“If he plays the sport is officially ruined; he’s been in the league for 3 years,” one fan wrote. While another added, “This is so damn pathetic and embarrassing. Shouldn’t be allowed.”

After his stint with Charlotte, Amari Bailey signed with the Brooklyn Nets on September 21, 2024, but was waived less than a month later. Since then, he has bounced between multiple G League stops, including the Greensboro Swarm, Long Island Nets, and Iowa Wolves. Now at 21 years old, Bailey believes returning to college could reset both his development and perception.

“It’s not a stunt,” Bailey further added. “I’m really serious about going back. I just want to improve my game, change the perception of me, and just show that I can win.”

So a fan further added, “NCAA will just let it happen because they don’t wanna be sued.” Whereas another wrote, “Pretty soon ncaa basketball is gonna be the G League.”

Bailey isn’t just testing the waters quietly either. He has hired both an agent and an attorney, Elliot Abrams, preparing for what could become the most significant eligibility battle yet in the NCAA’s rapidly collapsing professional wall.

“You’ve got a college-aged kid who wants to go to college, and you’ve got a system that says, ‘Too bad, you’ve gone to a different league, so you’re out forever.’ I don’t see any real justification for it,” the attorney said.

And if you are thinking Abrams is just a random name. He isn’t! Abrams has previously helped former North Carolina football player Tez Walker restore his NCAA eligibility in 2023. That history alone will tell you how serious Amari Bailey is.

One fan summed up the feeling the best and wrote, “That’s not how the game is played!!!!!”

Even though NCAA president Charlie Baker and senior vice president Tim Buckley have confirmed that the association would not grant eligibility to any player who has signed an NBA contract, the problem is that the courts have already shown they’re willing to intervene.

In the end, if an NBA player comes back, then the entire system college basketball has operated under for generations may no longer exist.