NBA Washout Amari Bailey Wants to Run Back to College Basketball—And He’s Ready to Sue for It
A kid who couldn’t hack it through even 10 NBA games now wants the NCAA to let him return to college basketball, and he’s threatening legal action to make it happen.
Amari Bailey, the former UCLA one-and-done guard who flamed out spectacularly in the pros, is attempting what no player has successfully done before: reverse course from the NBA back to the college ranks. The 21-year-old Charlotte Hornets second-round bust hasn’t played a single game this season after getting cut by the Brooklyn Nets last summer.
Now he wants a do-over.
“Right now I’d be a senior in college,” Bailey told reporters. “I’m not trying to be 27 years old playing college athletics.” Translation: He wants back in before everyone realizes he squandered his opportunity the first time around.
The Hard Truth About Bad Decisions
Bailey averaged a pedestrian 11.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists during his freshman year at UCLA before bolting for the NBA. That decision—made with the confidence of youth and the poor judgment that often accompanies it—has now spectacularly backfired.
Here’s what really happened: Bailey thought he was ready for the professional ranks. The NBA thought otherwise. After Charlotte drafted him in the second round of the 2023 draft, he managed just 10 games before reality set in.
The Nets gave him a shot. They cut him before he could embarrass himself further.
A Legal Battle Nobody Asked For
Bailey has hired both an agent and a lawyer, preparing to drag the NCAA into court if necessary. His team plans to petition whichever school takes him for a waiver allowing him to play. When—not if—that waiver gets denied, the lawsuits begin.
“It’s not a stunt,” Bailey insists. “I’m really serious about going back. I just want to improve my game, change the perception of me and just show that I can win.”
The perception of him? That’s already been established. He’s a player who left school too early, couldn’t compete at the professional level, and now wants the amateur ranks to serve as his personal rehabilitation center.
The NCAA Finally Draws a Line
NCAA president Charlie Baker has been crystal clear on this issue: “The NCAA has not and will not grant eligibility to any prospective or returning student-athletes who have signed an NBA contract (including a two-way contract).”
That’s the right call.
Bailey isn’t some innocent victim of circumstance. He made his choice. He signed an NBA contract. He cashed NBA checks—however few there were. Now he wants to compete against 18 and 19-year-old college kids because the grown men in the NBA proved too much for him.
The Dangerous Precedent This Sets
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson nailed it when he said college basketball has become “all transactional” with nothing educational about it anymore. Bailey’s attempted return exemplifies everything wrong with modern college athletics.
If Bailey succeeds, the floodgates open. Every second-round pick who fails to make an NBA roster will suddenly discover a renewed passion for their college education. Every G-League washout will hire lawyers and demand another crack at March Madness.
The college game would become a consolation prize for professional failures.
The Exception That Proves the Rule
Some will point to James Nnaji’s addition to Baylor’s roster as precedent. But Nnaji never signed an NBA contract—he only participated in Summer League games after playing for FC Barcelona’s basketball program. The situations aren’t remotely comparable.
Then there’s Charles Bediako, who returned to Alabama after going undrafted, despite signing a two-way deal with the San Antonio Spurs. A judge granted a temporary restraining order allowing his return.
That judicial intervention represents the kind of legal activism that undermines institutional authority and clear rules.
What This Really Means
Bailey wants to “change the perception” of himself and prove he can win. Noble goals, perhaps. But college basketball shouldn’t exist as a second-chance program for NBA failures.
The young man had his opportunity at UCLA. He chose to leave. He chose the NBA. Those choices have consequences.
If Bailey genuinely wants to improve his game, European leagues await. The G-League would likely take another look. Countless international opportunities exist for players willing to grind their way back to NBA consideration.
But that’s harder than beating up on college kids for a season while collecting NIL money and enjoying the perks of campus stardom he walked away from two years ago.
The Bottom Line
This isn’t about fairness or second chances. It’s about a player who made a bad decision now demanding that the rules bend to accommodate his failure.
The NCAA should stand firm. College athletics already face enough challenges maintaining any semblance of amateurism in the NIL era. Allowing professional athletes—even failed professional athletes—to return to college competition destroys what little integrity remains.
Bailey had his shot at UCLA. He took his shot at the NBA. Both are now behind him.
It’s time to move forward, not backward. And if that means his basketball career continues overseas or in the G-League rather than in college arenas, so be it. Those are the consequences of the choices he made.
The NCAA isn’t perfect—far from it. But on this issue, they’re absolutely right. No NBA contract signees should be allowed to return to college basketball, regardless of how quickly they washed out of the professional ranks.
Some lessons can only be learned the hard way. This is Amari Bailey’s.
