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.