NIL

Why some of college basketball’s biggest stars are starting to stick around

Published

6 months ago

June 27, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Three days after the 2024-25 NBA season ended, the league welcomed in its next crop of players.

The 2025 NBA Draft came and went this week in Brooklyn, with things largely going as they were predicted to for weeks.

The fate that was forecast for Cooper Flagg since he was a middle schooler came to fruition, with the Duke superstar getting taken with the No. 1 overall pick. He was one of three Dookies to be selected in the draft’s first 10 picks, with teammates Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach joining him. Two players from a sub-.500 Rutgers team went in the top five picks, including one, Ace Bailey, who seemed committed the past few weeks to becoming Basketball Shedeur Sanders. On the more unexpected side, neither Kentucky nor John Calipari produced a first-round pick for the first time since 2009, all while Penn State had its first-ever first-round pick – Yanic Konan Niederhauser, who one year ago was coming off a season in which he averaged 7.3 points per game for a Northern Illinois team that went 11-20.

Though this year’s draft had more starpower than its predecessor – even 12 months later, I genuinely wonder what percentage of basketball fans can name the top pick in the 2024 NBA Draft – it might have been as notable for who wasn’t in it as who was.

College players aren’t fleeing to the NBA at nearly the same rate as they did in the not-so-distant past. And it could just be the start of what’s to come.

There were 25 college underclassmen who were early entrants in this year’s NBA Draft, all of whom left behind their college careers despite holding on to remaining eligibility.

While that figure may only mean so much out of context, it’s quite notable. That’s the lowest such mark since all the way back in 2004, before many of this week’s draftees were even born.

The sheer volume of early entrants has dwindled over the past several years. Last year, it was 33 and the year before that, it was 44. This year’s figure, however, represents yet another significant drop, particularly when compared with what it was not all that long ago. In 2021, only four years ago, that number was all the way up to 70. Two years before that, it reached its apex, with 85 early entrants scrambling to get picked in a draft with only 60 selections.

What has come to define the draft since 2007 – when the effects of the draft’s age limit (the so-called “one-and-done rule”) first came into place – didn’t change this year, with college freshmen still dominating the early part of the draft. Each of the top eight picks in the draft were freshmen.

What most significantly impacted the number of early entrants this year weren’t ballyhooed freshmen who have been projected as first-round picks since they were underclassmen in high school. It was all other college players.

Of the 25 early entrants, only seven of them were sophomores or older, or 25% of the total pool. That’s by far the smallest mark since the one-and-done rule came into effect. Last year, 18 of the 33 early entrants were non-freshmen, a mark of 54.5% that had been tied for the smallest percentage since that fateful 2007 draft. As recently as 2019, college players who were at least sophomores accounted for 50 of the 70 early entrants, or 74.1%. Until 2022, that percentage had never been lower than 64.1% in the one-and-done era. And just three years later, it’s nearly a third of that previous low-water mark.

Though it’s a layered issue, there’s one variable in the decline that looms much larger than the rest.

When the U.S. Supreme Court issued its unanimous decision in NCAA v. Alston, which opened the door for college athletes to earn money off their name, image and likeness, change only came so quickly, at least when it came to how NBA-level prospects approached their draft decisions.

The 2022 NBA Draft, the first after NIL took effect, there were 61 early entrants, only nine fewer than the previous year. In the years since, as an NIL market has taken hold and athlete compensation has ballooned, those numbers have plummeted to their current levels.

In that way, the influence of NIL has been undeniable in helping keep players in college.

“Basically now if you’re an early entry and you’re not a top-20, top-22 pick — where the money slots — you can pretty much make that in college,” new NC State coach Will Wade, a longtime expert when it comes to paying college players, said to the Associated Press.

There was a time not all that long ago that standout college players wrestled with what became a familiar dilemma.

These young men were program pillars for successful teams, beloved celebrities on campus who earned national awards and often helped guide their teams on deep NCAA Tournament runs. Beneath all that fame and adoration, there was one big problem – for all they had achieved in college, they weren’t regarded as top-tier NBA prospects for one reason or another. Some, whether physically or athletically, didn’t have what NBA scouts deemed to be a particularly high ceiling. Others, who were already in their early 20s, were seen as too old. One particularly cursed group, made up mostly of traditional, back-to-the-basket big men, were those who weren’t a logical fit for the roles of a modern NBA offense.

That player could choose to remain in college, of course, but it came with risks. They would be entering a draft a year or two later, and a year or two older, in a league obsessed with upside while putting off six- or seven-figure paychecks – whether in the NBA, the G League or abroad – only to remain in a college game that didn’t allow even its biggest, most marketable stars to earn money from their name, image and likeness. There’s something to be said for being a beloved local figure and chasing a Final Four while playing in front of thousands of screaming fans, but from a cold, dollars-and-cents standpoint, it was often a no-brainer for many players. They would rather enter the murky, even unwelcoming professional waters rather than remain in college.

Now, that calculus has changed.

Texas Tech's JT Toppin makes his entrance prior to a non-conference basketball game, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, at United Supermarkets Arena.

When Texas Tech All-American JT Toppin announced he was returning to the Red Raiders despite being projected as some by a top-15 draft pick, CBS Sports reported that the 6-foot-9 forward would be making $4 million in NIL funds. That figure will make him one of the highest-paid players in college basketball next season – if not the highest-paid – but he’s far from the only player whose NIL opportunities in college have convinced them to return to school.

Toppin is one of three consensus first- or second-team All-Americans to spurn the NBA for at least another year, with Braden Smith of Purdue and PJ Haggerty of Kansas State (he transferred from Memphis after the 2024-25 season) the other two. It’s tied for the most returning All-Americans since 2001. The two years with which it’s tied, 2004 and 2008, had three returning All-Americans out of six and seven underclassmen on those teams, respectively. This year, the returnees hit at an even higher rate, with only five underclassmen between the two All-American teams.

In short, college basketball’s keeping some of its brightest, most recognizable stars around for at least one year longer than it would have three or four years ago, back when players like Toppin, Haggerty and even Smith (who’s slightly undersized at six feet tall) would have tried to capitalize on their draft stock at a perceived high.

You don’t have to look that far back for such cases. Baylor’s Jared Butler in 2021 and Virginia’s Kyle Guy in 2019 were both star guards who had just guided their teams to national championships and had remaining eligibility if they wanted to run it back. Today, both would be in line for seven-figure NIL deals at programs where they were newly minted legends, but both of them, having accomplished their ultimate team goal, headed for the draft, where both were second-round picks.

There are a slew of other examples of players fleeing the college game to cash in on whatever they could as pros:

Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois: consensus first-team All-American in 2021 who left with one year of eligibility to become a second-round pick (No. 38 overall)
Keita Bates-Diop, Ohio State: Big Ten player of the year and consensus second-team All-American who was a second-round pick (No. 48 overall) in 2018 and is currently out of the league
Nigel Williams-Goss, Gonzaga: a consensus second-team All-American in 2017 who led Gonzaga to the national championship game before leaving early to be the No. 55 overall pick in the NBA Draft. He’s been out of the NBA since 2020
Jalen Brunson, Villanova: the national player of the year who led Villanova to its second title in a three-year stretch. Was the third pick of the second round of the ensuing NBA Draft, where, as you may have heard, he’s done OK for himself
Carsen Edwards, Purdue: a consensus second-team All-American who led Purdue to the brink of a Final Four in 2019 and, despite being just six feet tall, left early to be the third pick of the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft. He’s been playing overseas since 2022
Kofi Cockburn, Illinois: a dominant college big man who was a consensus second-team All-American as a sophomore in 2021 and a first-team All-American as a junior in 2022, Cockburn left Illinois with remaining eligibility, only not to be drafted. He has never played in the NBA and currently playing pro ball in Japan

Sophomore Illini guard Ayo Dosunmu (11) and center Kofi Cockburn (21) walk out of a timeout after a strong start by Michigan State during the first half at State Farm Center in Champaign on Feb. 11. Illinois will host Nebraska Monday night at home. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.

At the time, all of their decisions, difficult as they may have been, were defensible. They each had their own inherent flaws, but there was money to be made in the professional ranks, wherever that may be, that wasn’t there for them in college (or, in Cockburn’s case, was a system of payments still in its awkward infancy).

Today, though, a player picked at the end of the first round is making $2.1 million under the NBA rookie wage scale while the minimum first-year NBA player salary is $1.2 million. The NBA two-way contracts, in which a player can shuttle between an NBA team and its G League affiliate, top out around $600,000 while G League deals themselves start at just $40,500.

At the power-conference level in college, rotation pieces on projected NCAA Tournament teams have reportedly been getting deals in excess of $1 million this offseason, meaning you don’t have to be an All-American like Toppin to bring in more than you would have in the NBA or G League.

“These NIL packages are starting to get up to $3 to $4 to $5 to $6 million dollars,” Detroit Pistons president of basketball operations and former Duke star Trajan Langdon said. “These guys are not going to put their name in to be the 25th pick, or even the 18th pick. They are going to go back to school in hopes of being a lottery pick next year. With that pool of players decreasing, it kind of decreases the odds of the level of player we get at No. 37, just the pure mathematics.”

We’ve seen that reality reflected not only in the three returning All-Americans, but a slew of other impactful players who withdrew from the draft and who will now be among the most famous faces in the sport next season – among them, Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg, Houston’s Milos Uzan, NC State’s Darrion Williams, Kentucky’s Otega Oweh, Auburn’s Tahaad Pettiford, Duke’s Isaiah Evans and Florida’s Alex Condon.

In a sport that has struggled to capture the interest of the casual fan as rosters turn over effectively every offseason, it should offer some much-needed familiarity. The days of the game’s biggest stars staying for three or four years are a relic outside of a few rare cases, but the continuity for which so many have longed while talking about how college basketball used to be so much better is much closer to a reality than it has been in at least two decades.

For as much as NIL and the impending revenue-sharing from the House settlement have been used as bogeymen for people to air their grievances about college sports – and while it offers inducements for players with no eligibility to try to hang around the game longer than they’re allowed to – they’re undeniably a good thing in trying to get college basketball closer to what it once was.

I’ve forgotten to include this at the bottom of the past couple of posts, so allow this to serve as a bit of a catch-up.

(Photos: NBA.com, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, The Daily Illini)

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$87 million college football coach comments on rumor he’s leaving for Big Ten team

Published

24 minutes ago

December 15, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Following a 2025 season full of coaching changes, one of the biggest gigs in the game still remains open. The Michigan Wolverine football program fired head coach Sherrone Moore after two seasons at the helm after he took over for Jim Harbaugh, leaving the team in need of a need coach for the second time in three years.

What’s tricky for Michigan is the timeline. Since Moore’s firing was credited to non-football reasons and came at an abrupt moment, the Wolverines are hopping on the carousel after everyone else already has a seat. Lane Kiffin made his big move, the SEC had half-a-dozen teams total make a coaching swap, and even Penn State, a conference rival for Michigan, finally found a solid fit in Iowa State’s Matt Campbell.

But that doesn’t mean the Wolverines’ leadership won’t aim high. They reportedly had the head coach of Alabama, Kalen DeBoer, as one of their options at the outset of the search. Even prediction markets like Kalshi reflected a sentiment that DeBoer would be in the mix in Ann Arbor. At least, that’s if he wanted to be.

Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer | Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As of Sunday evening, Alabama fans can rest easy knowing their second-year head coach is all the way painted in Crimson from head to toe and ready for a big postseason run. After speculation had bubbled to the social media streets, DeBoer shut it down with the following statement:

“My family and I are very happy in Tuscaloosa and remain extremely grateful for the support of President (Peter) Mohler, Greg Byrne, the Board, and so many others,” DeBoer said, according to Yea Alabama, the school’s official fan experience page. “We have an incredible opportunity in front of us, so my sole focus is on Alabama football and our preparations to play Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff.”

Kalen DeBoer, Alabama working on extension to $87 million contract

If a statement wasn’t enough to convince fans of his loyalty and Alabama’s as well, the two sides are reportedly entered in contract extension talks, according to On3’s college football insiders, Chris Low and

“Kalen DeBoer and Alabama are in ongoing talks about an extension, but nothing has been agreed upon or signed,” On3 posted on X Sunday evening. DeBoer is already signed for quite a while Ahead of his first season, 2024, DeBoer arrived from the West Coast and inked a deal worth $87 million over eight seasons. He’d still have six more years left on that contract after wrapping up this College Football Playoff run.

However, as has been the case for many coaches mentioned in rumors for other jobs, the schools may just want to re-sign another deal to signal to fans that no, their man is not going anywhere for now.

Dick Vitale, Charles Barkley call out College Football Playoff committee over Notre Dame snub

Published

1 hour ago

December 15, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Six days after Notre Dame missed the College Football Playoff, the Fighting Irish’s absence is still a point of conversation. During Saturday’s Kentucky vs. Indiana basketball game, Dick Vitale and Charles Barkley shared their reaction, calling out the CFP committee in the process.

Vitale, of course, wears his Notre Dame fandom proudly. He spoke out on social media shortly after the final rankings came out this week, when the Fighting Irish became the first team out of the CFP while Miami jumped up to No. 10 due to the head-to-head matchup between the two teams.

As ESPN showed a promo for this year’s College Football Playoff, Vitale made his thoughts clear. He argued Notre Dame deserved to be in the bracket, especially considering the Irish were in that position throughout the five weeks of CFP rankings shows.

“I’m so frustrated looking at that, Notre Dame not in there,” Vitale said on the broadcast. “Notre Dame deserved to be in.

“Five weeks in a row, we have a show on ESPN where we give the Top 12 teams, make a big thing out of it every Tuesday. Big show. Here comes the committee. Bottom line is, they were all five [weeks] in the Top 12. Then, all of a sudden, bumped.”

Charles Barkley: ‘You could see’ Notre Dame absence coming

Charles Barkley agreed with Dick Vitale, expressing his disappointment with Notre Dame’s absence. However, he said it might not have been entirely surprising considering the penultimate rankings announcement. The Fighting Irish dropped to No. 10 while Alabama moved to No. 9. BYU sat at No. 11, putting a team between Notre Dame and Miami, therefore avoiding the head-to-head discussion.

That said, Barkley argued Notre Dame is a different team than it was when it played Miami in Week 1. As a result, he thought the Irish should have been in the field.

“I actually agree with you. … I was disappointed,” Barkley said. “But you could see it coming in the last couple polls. They were creeping up on Miami. And my biggest problem with the whole thing, everybody’s talked about head-to-head. First of all, that was in August. … They were very close games [against] A&M and at Miami.

“But your team is not the same in August as it is in December. Notre Dame is playing as well as anybody in the country other than Indiana and probably Ohio State. And I don’t want to leave out the [Georgia] Bulldogs. Kirby Smart, that man can really coach.”

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2026 Heisman Trophy: CBS Sports names front-runners for the college football’s top award

Published

2 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The 2025 Heisman Trophy race is in the books, and now the college football world can turn its attention to the 2026 Heisman Trophy race. There, it should be a highly competitive race with several players set to return who look like candidates for college football’s top award.

Ahead of the 2026 season, CBS Sports took a look at those candidates. That included sorting them into two categories. That’s the top Heisman contenders for the 2026 season and other names to know for the race. Of course, there’s plenty of room for surprises beyond that too.

Several players who CBS Sports lists could be on the move next season. That includes in the Transfer Portal or going into the NFL Draft. So, with the offseason just around the corner, there’s time for things to change.

Top Heisman contenders in 2026

Arch Manning, QB, Texas Longhorns

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning got his first action as a starter in 2025. That moment had been highly anticipated since he was in high school and it came with mixed results. Still, with another year of experience, he very well could contend for the Heisman Trophy.

Of course, Manning does have the option to enter the NFL Draft. That’s not what most people anticipate, though, as returning to Texas for another season should help him improve that stock. Certainly, being a Heisman winner wouldn’t hurt either.

Julian Sayin, QB, Ohio State Buckeyes

Julian Sayin-Ohio State-Ohio State football-Buckeyes — Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin (Birm/Lettermen Row)

It was a disappointment in New York for Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin. A Heisman finalist this season, he didn’t end up going home with the hardware. Instead, he’ll have to refocus on the College Football Playoff and winning on the field.

As a redshirt freshman, Sayin was a Heisman finalist. He’ll be back again in 2026 with added experience that is almost impossible to find in college football. So, there’s no reason why he can’t win.

Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State Buckeyes

Coming into the 2025 season, Jeremiah Smith was commonly thought of as the best receiver in all of college football. He wouldn’t end up winning the Biletnikoff Award or being a Heisman finalist, though he was still thought of as the most talented receiver in the country.

Just a sophomore, Smith will be back next season and will, once again, be among the most thrilling players in the game. The only concern is whether or not he and Sayin will steal Heisman votes from one another.

Marcel Reed, QB, Texas A&M Aggies

Marcel Reed has been a revelation at quarterback for Texas A&M. The Aggies’ signal caller led Texas A&M to the College Football Playoff and has made them a legitimate threat to win the national championship. He’d use both his arm and legs to get there too.

As one of the most exciting players in the game who plays on a massive stage in the SEC, Reed is going to have the spotlight on him in 2026. If he plays up to his capability, he’ll be in the Heisman conversation once again. There’s no reason to think he can’t win it too.

Jayden Maiava, QB, USC Trojans

USC QB Jayden Maiava vs. Nebraska football (Imagn Images)

After taking over as the USC starter late in 2024, Jayden Maiava would hit his stride in 2025. Now, he and head coach Lincoln Riley are looking for a way to build on that once again.

If there is one thing that Lincoln Riley has found success doing it’s developing quarterbacks and explosive offenses. That’s led to Heisman Trophy success, including at USC. So, it’s not unfair to have high expectations for next season.

Other names to know

Ty Simpson, QB Alabama Crimson Tide

Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson is eligible to turn his attention to the NFL Draft next season. If he chooses to return to college, though, Simpson is going to be viewed as one of the best quarterbacks in the entire sport. He could very well even be a Heisman contender.

Gunner Stockton, QB, Georgia Bulldogs

Georgia QB Gunner Stockton during the SEC Championship — © Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Georgia managed to win the SEC and a first round bye in the first season Gunner Stockton led the Bulldogs as their starting quarterback. He’ll likely be back next season with much higher expectations from the jump. So, he could feasibly end up in the Heisman race more so than he was in 2025.

Drew Mestemaker, QB, North Texas Mean Green

There is a chance that Drew Mestemaker could be a transfer this offseason, as his head coach is on his way to Oklahoma State. That comes after the pair combined for a phenomenal season at the Group of Five level. With more attention on him from the start, regardless of where he’s playing, the Heisman isn’t out of the question.

Sam Leavitt, QB, Arizona State Sun Devils

For the past two seasons, Sam Leavitt has been vital to making Arizona State one of the best teams in the Big 12. Now, there are rumblings that he could transfer. Regardless of where he ends up, Leavitt should be a Heisman contender.

Ahmad Hardy, RB, Missouri Tigers

Missouri RB Ahmad Hardy — Denny Medley | Imagn Images

The Missouri Tigers managed to find one of the best running backs in the entire country this season, bringing in Ahmad Hardy. He’d rush for 1,560 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2025. If he can build on that in 2026, the Heisman may not be able to ignore his success.

Kewan Lacy, RB, Ole Miss Rebels

Another running back to keep an eye out on for the Heisman race next season is Kewan Lacy. The Ole Miss running back had 20 rushing touchdowns this year. That’s hard to ignore, but it’s also hard to replicate.

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Dan Lanning Reveals Reasoning Behind His Loyalty to Oregon

Published

3 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Lanning coached at six different schools from 2011 to 2021 before taking the job at Oregon. He’s coached the Ducks to a secon — Oct 18, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning looks on during the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

oregon ducks dan lanning nfl college football playoff nick saban mike bellotti recruiting nil big ten arizona state sun devil — Oct 18, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning looks on during the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

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Adidas releases tribute to Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza after winning Heisman Trophy

Published

4 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Your Sports Nation

As Fernando Mendoza put the finishing touches on a Heisman Trophy-winning season, he signed an NIL deal with adidas. Shortly after he won college football’s highest honor, the brand paid tribute.

Adidas released a video honoring Mendoza after he won the Heisman on Saturday night. The brand paid homage to his viral quote following the Big Ten Championship when the IU quarterback told FOX Sports’ Jenny Taft, “The Hoosiers are flippin’ champs.”

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Throughout the year, Mendoza not only became one of the biggest stars on the field, but one of the top names in the sport. He has a $2.6 million On3 NIL Valuation as Indiana soon prepares for the College Football Playoff as the No. 1 seed.

Just before IU took on Ohio State in Indianapolis, Mendoza announced his high-profile NIL deal with adidas. He is the latest college football star to partner with the Three Stripes, joining Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith and Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola, among others.

“Excited to share that I’ve accepted an opportunity to join adidas!” Mendoza wrote in a LinkedIn post. “I’m very grateful for everyone who has supported me along the way and excited to bring my passion for sport, leadership, and work ethic to the Three Stripes. Let’s get to work.”

More on Fernando Mendoza’s Heisman season

Mendoza led the nation with 33 touchdown passes this year while completing 71.5% of his passes for 2,980 yards, to just six interceptions. Additionally, his $2.6 million On3 NIL Valuation ranks No. 5 in college football and No. 7 in the On3 NIL 100, the first of its kind and defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation.

Fernando Mendoza beat out Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia for the award, garnering 643 first-place votes and 2,362 points. Pavia got 189 first-place votes and 1,435 points. It’s the latest chapter in a special season for the former Cal star, who helped lead Indiana to its first outright Big Ten title since 1945.

After the announcement, Mendoza delivered a passionate speech. As he wrapped, he had a message for young athletes who think they’re not getting enough attention or are ranked high enough.

“The truth is, you don’t need the most stars, hype or rankings,” Mendoza said. “You just need discipline, heart and people who believe in you. And you need to believe in your own abilities. I hope this moment shows you that chasing your dreams are worth it, no matter how big or impossible they seem.”

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Charles Barkley on NIL, transfer portal: ‘You should not have the ability to get a better offer every year’

Published

5 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Your Sports Nation

NBA legend Charles Barkley has not been shy about his thoughts on NIL and the transfer portal. During Saturday’s Kentucky vs. Indiana broadcast, he candidly discussed the landscape again.

Barkley called the game on ESPN alongside Dick Vitale, the first of two games they will work together. Vitale called for “stability” in college basketball – and college sports as a whole – because of the amount of player movement via the portal. He used Indiana as an example since new coach Darian DeVries virtually built the program from scratch.

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While Barkley acknowledged he’s in favor of athletes making money through NIL, he also called out players staying more than their four years of eligibility. In addition, he disagreed with the idea of athletes being allowed to seek better offers after every season.

“No. 1, I’m not opposed to players getting paid,” Barkley said on the broadcast. “I always want my players to get treated fairly. But I can’t remember the last time I heard the word, COVID. Some of these guys have been in college for six or seven years. If you’re in college for six or seven years, your name better be, ‘Dr. Somebody.’ You should not still be playing college basketball after six or seven years.

“But you should not have the ability to get a better offer every year. That’s not fair to any school that you are affiliated with because I can’t even do that. None of us can do that, take a better – Amazon, anybody or FOX Sports can come and say, ‘Well, we’ll give you more money and you can leave after every year.’ That’s not fair. … We’ve got to put some guardrails on these sports.”

One of the other new parts of the college basketball landscape is G-League players seeking eligibility. The NCAA has changed its approach regarding players who played in the G-League, arguing they were not professional athletes in a way the old rule said. Instead, if those players are within five years of their high school graduation, they could become eligible unless they went through the NBA Draft process or signed an NBA contract.

To Charles Barkley, that’s another area that needs fixing. He does not think former G-League players should be able to play college basketball.

“We’ve got guys playing in the G-League coming back to college sports now,” he said. “I don’t think that’s fair.”

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