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Chad Baker-Mazara is no longer with the USC basketball program. The veteran forward cut ties with the Trojans with a few games left in the regular season.
His exit was announced on Sunday, but it effectively came during Saturday’s matchup with Big 10 rival Nebraska.
The team hosted the Cornhuskers over the weekend with the intention of keeping slim NCAA Tournament hopes alive. It failed. The Trojans fell at home, 82-67.
The loss was USC’s fifth straight. It put them on the outside looking in for most bracketologists.
ESPN has the team listed as one of the first four out of the field at this point in time. They are further down the list in CBS’s March Madness projection.
The Trojans will have two games to get back into the conversation. They will be forced to flip the script without a top performer.
Chad Baker-Mazara is off the team.
Chad Baker-Mazara is no longer a member of the USC Men’s Basketball program, the team announced Sunday.
Baker-Mazara, a graduate student, appeared in 26 contests for the Trojans in 2025-26. USC has two regular-season games remaining, traveling to Washington on March 4 and hosting UCLA on March 7 before the start of the Big Ten Tournament next week.
The LA Times reported that multiple incidents led to the exit. The most glaring came on Saturday.
Shortly after halftime, the forward hit the ground hard trying to defend a Nebraska layup. He briefly left the court before returning a few moments later.
He did not re-join the team. Instead, he grabbed a seat by the fans.
Interesting part of Nebraska vs. USC game yesterday, Chad Baker-Mazara left the game with an injury briefly, came back out to the court but didn’t sit on the main bench with the team rather courtside for the rest of the game.
Today, USC moves on from Baker-Mazara.⬇️ https://t.co/PQdAqQco8P pic.twitter.com/RXt0syRiDE
— Chase Matteson (@ChaseMatteson) March 1, 2026
USC was down just five points when Baker-Mazara returned from the locker room. He refused to re-enter the game according to Eric Musselman.
The Trojans lost by double digits with a poor second-half showing.
A few hours later, he was dismissed. While not as dramatic as Antonio Brown’s famous exit, Baker-Mazara essentially turned his back on USC midgame.
Why?
Could he be protecting his pro future?
Chad Baker-Mazara has had an interesting college career. He is one of the oldest players in college basketball.
A year at prep school set him back one season from his graduating class. He signed with Duquesne as a freshman before “philosophical issues” forced his exit.
He then joined San Diego State but left after one year due to academics. Baker-Mazara spent the next year at Northwest Florida State College before playing two seasons with Auburn.
He had a chance to return to Auburn for a third and final college season in 2025-26. An NIL deal was agreed upon. He chose to burn the bridge.
His reported jealousy of a teammate’s salary resulted in a broken contract. Unable to negotiate new terms, he left Auburn for USC.
Talent has never been the issue for Chad Baker-Mazara. Attitude has.
Despite averaging double figures in each of his two seasons with Auburn, his tenure was marred by costly technical fouls and off-court drama.
It seems he’ll be remembered the same by USC with an unexpected exit overshadowing his 18.5 point-per-game production.
He may not be worried about the optics. His future may outweigh the negative perception.
The reason for mentioning that checkered past is to highlight that he is already 26 years old. His professional start will be much later than others.
The senior is a fringe NBA player. His outlook will be impacted by both age and health. He is not likely to be drafted. He does, however, have a backup plan.
Baker-Mazara was the first choice in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional selection process. BSN is the top pro league in Puerto Rico.
While not as lucrative as the NBA, the league’s top stars can enjoy a comfortable six-figure income with overseas players being prioritized. BSN recently pushed to increase its salary cap while continuing to attract talent.
Chad Baker-Mazara may have that in the back of his mind.
USC’s season is trending downward. He received an injury scare in his most recent contest. His NBA outlook is bleak, but there is a legitimate backup option.
Maybe the lure of playing professionally impacted his decision to bail on the Trojans.