The Louisville basketball team is currently enjoying the holidays, as the Cards are on a nice 10-day break. Louisville is 10-2 and ranked No. 16 in the nation at the holiday break, and now turns to its ACC schedule as it faces Cal on Tuesday.
During this 10-day break, a massive story broke on the internet, sending the college basketball world into chaos. A former Louisville commit, Trentyn Flowers, has reportedly been in contact and drawing interest from multiple powerhouse programs and is trying to play college basketball next season. The twist? Well, he would be the first player ever to play in an NBA game and return to college basketball.
Chicago Bulls two-way player Trentyn Flowers is drawing interest from many college programs, a source told @On3sports.
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) December 28, 2025
The 6-foot-8 wing was a top-25 recruit in the 2023 class who initially committed to Louisville before opting for a pro career.
Story: https://t.co/or7wmRissv pic.twitter.com/Yo9sSqe1dL
Former Louisville commit and current two-way NBA Bulls player draws interest from colleges
Flowers committed to Louisville back in 2023 after he attended the Combine Academy. The former 5-star commit was initially in the 2024 class, where he ranked No. 18 nationally. After he reclassified to the 2023 class, he ranked as high as a 5-star recruit and No. 23 in the country, No. 4 among small forwards, and the top recruit out of North Carolina.
However, that massive commitment was short-lived as he signed with the Adelaide 36ers of the National Basketball League in Australia in August 2023. Flowers arrived on campus in June that summer and was planning to play with the Cardinals, but Louisville fans were gutted when the 5-star commit decided to decommit and play overseas.
Now, fast-forward to 2024: the former Louisville commit went undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft after averaging 5.2 points and 2.9 rebounds while shooting 46 percent from the field. He signed a two-way deal with the Clippers, was waived by Los Angeles, and then signed another two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls.
He has now played eight games in the NBA, including two this month for the Bulls. In the Bulls' loss to the Warriors, he scored four points, and last year he scored a career-high nine points against the Timberwolves.
And now, the two-way player and former Louisville commit is trying to come back to play college basketball. On3 Sports' Joe Tipton reports that elite programs like Kentucky, Indiana, Florida, Michigan, Kansas, Texas Tech, Clemson, and others have shown interest in the former 5-star.
Louisville was one of the first programs to land a commitment from a G League player in London Johnson, but now the NCAA is learning that two-way players who have played games in the NBA may also be eligible. Tipton didn't report that Pat Kelsey and the Cardinals were among the teams interested in the former 5-star commit, but it is worth noting that Flowers was on record stating Louisville was his "dream college."
For all the latest on Louisville basketball's 2025-26 season and recruiting, stay tuned.