Amari Bailey ‘serious’ about returning to college after 10 games with Hornets

As former Charlotte Hornets player Amari Bailey is currently out of the league, the guard is looking to regain college eligibility and head back to that level. As Bailey was with the UCLA basketball team before being selected in the 2023 NBA Draft in the second round by the Hornets, he is seeking a return to college.

Reported by Dan Murphy of ESPN, Bailey is vying to be the first player to find his way to playing college basketball after actually being in NBA games, where he had been in 10 his rookie season.

“Former UCLA standout Amari Bailey said he is attempting to become the first basketball player to return to college after playing in NBA games,” Murphy wrote. “Bailey, 21, has hired an agent and a lawyer to prepare to fight for NCAA eligibility with hopes to join a college team and play one more season.”

“He said he started to explore a return to college earnestly in 2025 but has wondered whether there was a way back to the NCAA since the day he was drafted in 2023,” Murphy continued.

Amari Bailey’s situation could be compared to Charles Bediako’s

The one story that has some similarities is Charles Bediako returning to play for the Alabama Crimson Tide, though, while he was on a two-way contract with a team and played G League games, he never played in an actual NBA game. This makes Bailey’s case more fascinating, saying how this is a “serious” pursuit and not a “stunt.”

“Right now I’d be a senior in college,” Bailey said, via ESPN. “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?”

“It’s not a stunt. 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,” Bailey continued.

It remains to be seen if Bailey is granted the college eligibility that he is chasing.

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