Scott Drew defends signing former NBA pick James Nnaji, reveals conversation with Tom Izzo

James Nnaji has arrived in Waco to join the Baylor Bears. Nnaji is a former second-round draft pick of the Detroit Pistons, going No. 31 overall in 2023. Even so, he has been deemed eligible by the NCAA and is set to play under head coach Scott Drew.

A lot of criticism for the move has come in recent days, including from Michigan State‘s Tom Izzo. Not too often do we hear coaches calling out others, especially the stature of Drew and Izzo. But a conversation recently took place between the two, with Drew revealing the details.

“Coach Izzo and I are friends,” Drew said via ESPN. “I’ve got a lot of respect for him. Great conversation. As he said, most coaches are 99% aligned on things that we would like to see done with our game. At the same time, from my knowledge, until we get to collective bargaining, I don’t think we can come up with rules that are agreeable or enforceable. Until that, I think all of us have got to be ready to adjust and adapt to what’s out there.

“Early on, when it first came out with G League players, I wasn’t in favor of that either. But again, we don’t make the rules and as we find out about things, we’re always going to adapt to put our program in the best position to be successful, because that’s what we get paid to do.”

Nnaji spent this past summer playing in the NBA Summer League, averaging 3.2 points and 3.6 rebounds over five games as a member of the New York Knicks. He did not get any action in an actual NBA game. Now, he is going down the college route for the first time after playing professionally for Barcelona in Spain.

One final game took place for Baylor on Monday against Arlington Baptist before Big 12 play begins. Saturday opens up a new chapter of the 2025-2026 season for the Bears. A trip to Fort Worth for a rivalry game against TCU takes place.

Eventually, Nnaji is expected to be out there for Baylor. Listed at 7-feet tall, a rim protector, and an effective scoring threat is joining the roster. People around college basketball might not be all too happy with the move from Drew. However, he is incredibly excited to add Nnaji to the roster.

“I just know they told us he can play, so I’m happy,” Drew said.