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As the calendar flips from 2025 to 2026 and the college basketball schedule turns to conference play, the biggest story in the sport isn't about what's happening on the court. It's about James Nnaji, who became the first former NBA draft pick to be cleared by the NCAA and signed with Baylor on Christmas Eve.
While Nnaji never played in an official NBA game, the 31st overall pick in the 2023 draft did participate in that year's Summer League, and was later part of the three-team trade that brought Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks (the Knicks still own Nnaji's draft rights).