Former Hornets player Amari Bailey seeks college eligibility

The NCAA's eligibility rules might face another challenge after former NBA player Amari Bailey told ESPN on Friday that he plans to play college ball again.

He is working with an agent and a lawyer in an attempt to play another year in college, per the report.

Bailey, 21, played for UCLA in 2022-23, averaging 11.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 30 games (28 starts).

The Hornets selected him in the second round of the 2023 draft, and he played 10 games for Charlotte in the ensuing season. He managed 2.3 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game in 10 appearances, all off the bench. He subsequently spent parts of two seasons in the NBA's developmental G League.

Bailey said to ESPN, "Right now I'd be a senior in college. 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?"

The NCAA issued a quick response to the latter question.

NCAA senior vice president of external affairs Tim Buckley tweeted on Friday in the wake of Bailey's announcement, "The NCAA has not and will not grant eligibility to any players who have signed an NBA contract. Congress can strengthen NCAA rules so professional athletes cannot sue their way back to competing against college students."

Bailey's plan follows the recent reinstatement of Charles Bediako to the Alabama squad thanks to a court order. Bediako never played in the NBA, but he signed a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs. He previously played for the Crimson Tide in 2021-22 and 2022-23.

Earlier this season, James Nnaji began playing for Baylor even though he was drafted by the Detroit Pistons in 2023. He didn't get into an NBA game.

--Field Level Media