Former G-League Player Could Set a New NCAA Eligibility Precedent
For many years, the NCAA eligibility rules have been pretty straightforward. Once the transfer portal and NIL became available, that’s when the eligibility rules started to create some bends. When the NCAA recently granted Thierry Darlan eligibility to join Santa Clara, despite his time with the NBA G League Ignite, it raised a provocative question: Should NBA G League players be allowed to return to college hoops with remaining eligibility? Darlan’s case breaks precedent and introduces a potential new pipeline between pro development and the NCAA ranks.
A Precedent with Caveats
Darlan had spent time in the G League, but the NCAA judged that his particular circumstances and his path through NBA Academy systems merited eligibility. This suggests the NCAA may now treat some professional experience as reconcilable with amateur rules. However, Darlan’s case is narrow, and it’s not clear whether others will be as favorably treated. As more G League talents emerge, like Matas Buzelis, Jalen Green, Scoot Henderson, Ron Holland, and Jonathan Kuminga to name a few, the temptation to grant exceptions will grow. These players, by design, tested themselves against pros, often at age 18 or 19, skipping or bypassing the college route entirely.
G League Versus the Top College Prospects
On one end, those already established NBA names: Green, Buzelis, Henderson, and Kuminga have all proven that the college route isn’t for everybody. Jalen Green is the best example of this. His recruitment was as predictable as it comes: blue bloods, SEC heavyweights, every school you could think of. He ended up with a top five featuring the G-League, Auburn, Kansas, Memphis, and Oregon. Green had a similar recruitment list to some of the college stars, and still ended up in the same spot as them. Furthermore, Green has already inked his second NBA contract worth more than $100 million. On the college side, Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, Derik Queen, and VJ Edgecombe each had their own unique recruitment paths. All four prospects had their own path to the NBA, and all experienced college in the NIL era. If a top-tier G Leaguer entered Division I, they might be the most athletic and dangerous player on many rosters, but college stars bring a different style of basketball that a G-League player might be unfamiliar with. Darlan has the chance to be Santa Clara's top scorer and overall best player just purely based on his size and athleticism compared to the rest of the conference. The gap is narrowing, and Darlan’s decision opens the door to those matchups becoming real. Darlan’s eligibility raises questions about when President Trump signed the “Save College Sports” executive order, which tasked federal agencies with protecting scholarships, limiting “pay-for-play” recruiting inducements, and preserving fair market NIL deals. Against that backdrop, the NCAA’s decision to grant Thierry Darlan eligibility highlights the tension between federal efforts to safeguard amateurism and the growing trend of professional-to-college transitions.
Coaches, Criticism, and Unsettled Recruiting
When news of Darlan's eligibility dropped, St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino took to X with a tongue-in-cheek but pointed jab: “So let me get this straight, we can now recruit G League players? Is the NBA next?” Pitino’s barb captures the discomfort across college coaching circles: this could upend recruiting norms, roster building, and competitive balance. If schools can suddenly “import” former pros midstream, the calculus of developing high school talent versus acquiring refined pros shifts dramatically. The executive order further complicates the picture. Its guardrails on pay-for-play and recruiting inducements may curb some of the excesses associated with NIL arms races. However, when the NCAA itself allows former G League players to enter, it risks accelerating a two-tier system: those with pro experience and those without.
Conclusion: Opening the Door — But What’s Next?
The Darlan ruling marks a crack, but not a collapse, in the NCAA’s longstanding wall between pro and amateur. The process will remain case-by-case, not blanket. As more G League stars come of age, the pressure will intensify. Meanwhile, the “Saving College Sports” executive order signals the federal government’s eagerness to reassert control over college athletics’ financial and competitive balance. Whether the NCAA’s eligibility evolution aligns with or clashes against that order remains to be seen. Former pros like Henderson, Green, Buzelis, Holland, and Kuminga set the example for high school athletes to take the jump to being a pro and joining the G-League Ignite. The promise of higher competition, exposure, and fan interest is real, but so is the risk of undermining fairness, identity, and the opportunity for traditional college athletes. Darlan’s case may become the first of many, and the tension between pro and amateur in college basketball is now explicit, not theoretical.
