The Big Ten announced Monday morning that it unanimously adopted a rule prohibiting the return of players who have signed NBA, WNBA or G League contracts.
Here is the full statement from the conference:
“The Big Ten Conference announced Monday the unanimous adoption of a conference rule to prohibit men’s and women’s basketball players who have signed a professional contract with the NBA, G-League or WNBA or any team that is a member of any such league, were on a roster for an NBA, G-League or WNBA team at any point or declared for the NBA or WNBA Draft but did not withdraw or declare an intent to return to college within the required timeframe, from maintaining eligibility for athletic competition at a conference institution.
“The conference continues to evaluate potential rules restricting professional athletes in other sports from conference competition.”
Because the rule does not mention players who competed in the NBA Summer League, it does not appear to affect Sam Alexis, who is currently eligible for the 2026-27 season following a recent preliminary injunction issued in Monroe Circuit Court.
Notably, the statement does not mention players who have participated in professional leagues internationally.
A statement from the Big Ten on student-athlete eligibility. pic.twitter.com/x82itc5w8t
— Big Ten Conference (@bigten) September 28, 2026
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