Baylor's James Nnaji Makes NBA Draft History, But Not Without Challenges
The highly anticipated debut of James Nnaji, the 7-foot center and 2023 NBA draft pick, took place on Saturday, January 3, 2026, in a game that saw Baylor lose to TCU. Nnaji's journey to the court was not without controversy, as his signing drew criticism from college basketball coaches last month. Despite this, he stepped onto the court, scoring five points in 16 minutes of play.
Nnaji's path to the NBA has been a bit unconventional. While he never played in an official NBA game, he did participate in the 2023 summer league and was part of a three-team trade that brought Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks. After playing in Europe for the past couple of years, Nnaji made his college basketball debut, facing a challenging environment.
The game began with Nnaji entering the court with 11:59 remaining in the first half, greeted by boos from the TCU crowd and cheers from Baylor fans. The boos persisted as he touched the ball, but they faded after he scored his first points with a putback dunk in the first half. The 21-year-old Nigerian player finished with four rebounds, but his performance was cut short when he picked up his fourth foul with 4:42 remaining in the game.
Baylor, known for their high-scoring offense, ranked fifth nationally in scoring at 96 points per game, was held to a season-low in points while shooting 37%. Cameron Carr and Dan Skillings Jr. led the scoring for the Bears, but TCU's Micah Robinson, Xavier Edmonds, Liutauras Lelevicius, and David Punch proved too strong, ending a five-game home losing streak in the series. Despite Baylor's best efforts, they trailed for just 10 seconds in the game.
As for Nnaji's future, he and the Bears will face No. 3 Iowa State at home on Wednesday, looking to turn their fortunes around. The NBA draft pick's performance will be a key factor in their success, and the challenges he faced on Saturday will be a test of his resilience and determination.
