NCAA Grants Former G League Player Thierry Darlan Eligibility

The NCAA has ruled former G League Ignite player Thierry Darlan eligible to play Division I basketball at Santa Clara, his agent, Todd Ramasar, told ESPN’s Jeremy Woo on Tuesday.

Thierry Darlan Becomes First G League Alum To Play In NCAA

Darlan, 6-foot-8, 211-pound guard becomes the first G League alum to obtain NCAA eligibility.

Having already graduated from the NBA Academy Africa program, Darlan will enter college as a junior with two years of eligibility remaining.

The NCAA’s decision to grant Darlan two years of eligibility was based on his age and years removed from high school at the NBA Academy, according to Ramasar.

Darlan, 21, earned invites to multiple elite camps including the Nike Hoop Summit and Basketball Without Borders, where he competed and earned camp MVP honors in 2022.

He then joined Petro de Luanda of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) before deciding to pursue his professional career in the G League.

Darlan, who was born in the Central African Republic, most recently played for the Delaware Blue Coats of the G League. He averaged 11 points, six rebounds, and two assists in 29 games during the 2024-25 season.

Darlan Now One Of Eight Newcomers For Santa Clara

Darlan also played for the Ignite during the 2023-24 season before the team ceased operations. In his lone season with the team, he played in 29 games with 10 starts where he averaged just under five points per game.

After declaring for and withdrawing from the 2025 NBA draft, Darlan maintains the ability to declare again in 2026. He is expected to play a significant role with the Broncos.

Santa Clara went 21-13 overall and 12-6 in the WCC last season and advanced to the second round of the NIT. The school has helped send guards Jalen Williams and Brandin Podziemski to the NBA in recent years.

Darlan is one of eight newcomers that will be on the 2025-26 roster, joining freshmen Noah Badibanga, KJ Cochran, Francis Chukwudebelu, and Bradley Longcor, along with transfers Gehrig Normand, Chris Tadjo, and Aleksandar Gavalyugov.

The NCAA doesn’t comment on specific eligibility cases, but since the advent of name, image, and likeness (NIL), the organization has loosened its previously strict rules related to amateurism.