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USC blasts claim race played role in Chad Baker-Mazara’s removal from men’s basketball team
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- USC blasts claim race played role in Chad Baker-Mazara’s removal from men’s basketball team
Race had nothing to do with Chad Baker-Mazara's unceremonious exit from USC's men's basketball team earlier this year, according to a blistering new statement from the school on the heels of a lawsuit brought by the former player.
Hours after the former Trojans star appeared to imply in an explosive lawsuit that his ethnicity played some role in the school's decision to boot him from its roster, a university spokesperson said in a statement to the California Post that Baker-Mazara was dismissed "based on a number of considerations, none having to do with race."
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Baker-Mazara alleged in the suit he filed in Los Angeles on Monday that USC coach Eric Musselman directed racist language his way during a wild postgame tirade just a day before he was kicked off the team .
Chad Baker-Mazara of the USC Trojans shoots a free throw during a game against the UCLA Bruins on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, California. ISI Photos via Getty Images
Head coach Eric Musselman of the USC Trojans reacts against the UCLA Bruins in the first half of a Men's NCAA basketball game at the Galen Center in Los Angeles on Saturday, March 7, 2026. The UCLA Bruins defeated the USC Trojans 89-68. MediaNews Group via Getty Images
Baker-Mazara claimed that following USC's 82-67 home loss against Nebraska on Feb. 28, Musselman told him, "Go back to the f—king Dominican Republic! Nobody wants you here!! F—k you!"
"The words 'Go back to the f—king Dominican Republic' are generally understood by persons of color in the United States originating from the Dominican Republic — and were in fact taken by Baker-Mazara — to be racist and discriminatory, akin to telling an African-American to 'go back to Africa,'" Baker-Mazara's lawsuit stated.
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"Coach Musselman's outburst was a direct attack on Baker-Mazara's national origin and Dominican heritage, made from a position of authority and power by the Head Coach of the team, in front of all of Baker-Mazara's teammates. The tirade was unprovoked, vicious, and discriminatory."
Baker-Mazara said in the suit he was never told why he was ultimately dismissed from the team, and he accused the school of parting ways with him so it wouldn't have to pay him NIL money it previously promised him.
Baker-Mazara also alleged the whole ordeal hurt his NBA draft stock. He's suing the school for, among other things, breach of contract, conversion and intentional interference with prospective economic advantage.
USC Trojans head coach Eric Musselman reacts after a play as guard Chad Baker-Mazara looks on during a game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Saturday, January 31, 2026, at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, CA. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
"I gave everything I had to USC," Baker-Mazara said in a statement to The Post on Tuesday morning. "I played through injuries, showed up for my teammates every day, and honored my commitments. Filing this lawsuit was not an easy decision, but I believe it is important to stand up for what you were promised and what you are owed.
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"I am proud of what I accomplished throughout my college career, and I remain focused on my professional basketball career, my family, and the opportunities ahead. I look forward to letting the facts speak for themselves through the legal process."
USC, meanwhile, added in its statement that it is looking "forward to defeating [Baker-Mazara's] action in court."
However, a school spokesperson did not respond to The Post's request for clarity on whether USC was specifically denying Musselman said what is alleged.
Baker-Mazara, 26, joined the Trojans just prior to the 2025-26 season after two years of starring at Auburn. It's expected he will play professionally in Puerto Rico this upcoming season after going unpicked in the 2026 NBA Draft.
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