Tom Izzo shreds recruiting G-League players after Louisville lands London Johnson: 'It's embarrassing'

London Johnson spent three seasons in the NBA G-League, but committed to play college basketball at Louisville on Monday. He’ll have two years of eligibility remaining once he hits the floor for the Cardinals.

His commitment led to many questioning how this could even be possible. Michigan State head Tom Izzo revealed that he wasn’t even aware Johnson was being recruited to play college ball. He didn’t hold back when discussing the matter with media earlier this week.

“This just goes to show you how ridiculous people that are in power make decisions,” Izzo said. “And I’m going to get killed because someone’s going to say, ‘Well, if they go pro, it doesn’t work out. Shouldn’t they be able to come back?’ Well, what about the freshmen you recruited there? That’s somebody’s son, and he thinks he’s got himself a good place. And all of a sudden, shazam. They pull out of their hat and bring a 21 or 22 year old in.

“To me, it’s ridiculous. To me, it’s embarrassing. And I love my job. I don’t respect my profession, and I don’t respect whoever made those decisions.”

Izzo said that all this does is hurt the incoming freshmen on the team. Though, according to On3’s Joe Tipton, the 21-year-old Johnson will join the program mid-season, sit out for the entire 2025-26 season and prepare to suit up next year.

Still, Izzo believes that allowing former G-League players into college can only hurt the game. He joked that he’d make a call to Jaren Jackson Jr., Miles Bridges, Max Christie and the rest of his current NBA players to potentially make a comeback in similar fashion.

Izzo placed the blame on the decision-makers and those who allowed this to happen. The news “hit a sore spot” for the longtime Michigan State head coach, and feels for the younger players on a roster that have their spot taken from someone playing professional basketball.

Players from overseas often have professional experience. However, this rare case of going from the NBA G-League and then back to college is something Izzo has taken exception to.

“I’m mad at the adults in the room, and so don’t blame the players anymore,” Izzo said. “Blame the adults that make the decisions, that allow some of these ridiculous things to happen. And then the unintended consequences hurt kids that are trying to do it the right way, with a process, not jumping around.”