An NBA G League player made a college commitment this week and is set to become eligible to play in the 2026-27 NCAA season.
If that sounds absurd to you, you’re not alone.
Longtime Michigan State hoops coach Tom Izzo railed against the decision to allow London Johnson, a 21-year-old who spent the last three seasons in the G League, to be eligible to commit to Louisville this week.
“I’m gonna get killed because someone’s gonna say, ‘Well, if they go pro and it doesn’t work out, shouldn’t they be able to come back?’ Well, what about the freshman you recruited there? That’s somebody’s son,” Izzo told reporters on Tuesday. “And he thinks he’s got himself a good place and then 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.
“I love my job, I don’t respect my profession. I don’t respect whoever’s doing that, whoever made those decisions because they’re afraid a lawyer’s gonna sue them. Sooner or later, you’ve gotta fight the fight.”
Izzo, 70, joked he was going to call former Michigan State greats like Magic Johnson to see if they wanted to return to the program.
“Maybe it’s me, maybe I’m the dummy, but I’ll never agree to that stuff,” Izzo said. “I think we’re really hurting the seniors in high school, giving them a chance. What’s the age limit now? Is it 30? If you have three beards and two mustaches, are you illegal? You’re not allowed to play? What’s it gonna be? It hit a sore spot for me because the transfer portal is enough. We have no rules. And now we’ve just taken no rules and just added some more no rules.”
The floodgates for Johnson’s eligibility opened last month when Thierry Darlan, another former G Leaguer who is 21 years old, was able to commit to Santa Clara.
Darlan’s agent, Todd Ramasar, told ESPN at the time that the NCAA granted Darlan two years of eligibility based on his age and years removed from high school; Darlan graduated from the NBA Academy Africa program.
In recent years, the NCAA has been allowing young international players with pro experience to play collegiately, which paved the way for the recent rulings on the pair of G Leaguers.
“The NCAA’s gotta regroup. That’s my opinion,” Izzo said. “I’m not mad at the players. I’m mad at the adults in the room.”
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