By Jackson Posey | Sports Editor
Baylor freshman center James Nnaji is entering the transfer portal, per multiple reports Tuesday. The former NBA Draft pick will have three years of eligibility remaining.
The 7-foot center made waves across the college sports landscape when he signed with Baylor on Christmas Eve, becoming the first former draft selection to play a college game, but struggled with conditioning issues and failed to make much of an impact on the court. Nnaji averaged 1.4 points and 2.1 rebounds in 18 games off the bench. He played 147 total minutes for the Bears.
Nnaji came to Waco with an impressive pedigree after playing professionally across Europe, including a three-season stint with Barcelona in the EuroLeague. The Pistons selected him with the No. 31 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
He never signed an NBA deal, however, and his rights have bounced around to Charlotte and New York. Nnaji played five games for the Knicks’ Summer League team this past summer, recording 3.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per game.
He will now enter a crowded transfer portal with plenty of big man options, including Kansas’ Flory Bidunga and Cincinnati’s Moustapha Thiam.
Baylor is waiting to hear back from potential NBA Draft picks Cameron Carr and Tounde Yessoufou, whose decisions could dramatically shape the program’s offseason strategy. The Bears have just one high school signee, four-star San Antonio native Elijah Williams, and will look to reload with transfers after losing Nnaji to the portal and four other rotation players to exhausted eligibility.
