Ex-UCLA guard Bailey seeks NCAA return despite playing 10 NBA games

Former UCLA guard Amari Bailey is looking to become the first basketball player to return to the NCAA after suiting up in the NBA.

The 21-year-old has hired an agent and lawyer in hopes of joining a college team for one season.

"Right now, I'd be a senior in college," Bailey told ESPN's Dan Murphy. "I'm not trying to be 27 years old playing college athletics. No shade to the guys that do; that's their journey. But I went to go play professionally and learned a lot, went through a lot. So, like, why not me?"

Bailey, the No. 5 overall recruit in the ESPN 100 in 2022, played one season for the Bruins, averaging 11.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.1 steals en route to earning Pac-12 All-Freshman team honors.

The Charlotte Hornets drafted him 41st overall in 2023. Bailey played 65 minutes across 10 appearances the following season.

The former McDonald's All-American has played for three G League teams over the past two years.

NCAA president Charlie Baker recently attempted to clarify the governing body's stance on player eligibility, stating that any prospective or returning student-athletes who have signed an NBA contract, including a two-way, are ineligible to play college basketball.

However, Alabama center Charles Bediako, who played solely in the G League at the professional level, recently returned to the Crimson Tide. He has appeared in two contests while awaiting a decision on his eligibility lawsuit against the NCAA.

The NCAA also granted James Nnaji four years of college eligibility in December. Nnaji is a 2023 second-round pick who'd most recently played for FC Barcelona prior to joining Baylor in January.