Former USC forward Chad Baker-Mazara has filed a lawsuit against the university accusing head basketball coach Eric Musselman of launching into a "profanity-laced, racially charged locker room tirade" that precipitated the sudden dismissal of USC's leading scorer last February.
In a lawsuit filed Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Baker-Mazara alleged that Musselman kicked him off the team in an effort to avoid paying him the remainder of his name, image and likeness contract with the school.
The university rejected the allegation in a statement Tuesday, saying the decision to remove Baker-Mazara from the program was because of "a number of considerations, none having to do with race."
Baker-Mazara claims in the lawsuit that the third-year USC men's basketball coach "lost his mind" in the wake of a late-season loss to Nebraska last February, which essentially eliminated USC from postseason play. The lawsuit states that when Baker-Mazara tried to speak up in the locker room postgame, Musselman screamed at him, called him "one of the worst teammates anyone can ever have" and then told him to "go back to the f— Dominican Republic." The filing describes the interaction with the coach as "unprovoked, vicious, and discriminatory."
Read more: Chad Baker-Mazara, USC's leading scorer, dismissed from men's basketball team
"USC's conduct not only ended Baker-Mazara's college career prematurely, it torpedoed his promising prospects of playing at the next level," the lawsuit reads.
Musselman has not responded to a text message from the Times seeking comment.
Prior to the alleged locker room incident described in the filing, Baker-Mazara left the USC-Nebraska game a few minutes into the second half after chasing down a lay-in and falling hard to the court. Musselman said after the game that Baker-Mazara told coaches he was unable to return. In the lawsuit, Baker-Mazara alleges he tried to return, despite aggravating a knee injury, but Musselman chose not to insert him into the lineup.
Baker-Mazara, who dealt with nagging injuries all season that held him out of practice, spent the remainder of the game in a folding chair on the baseline, away from the rest of the team. At one point during the game, he went behind the USC bench and chatted with fans in the front row.
A person familiar with the decision to dismiss Baker-Mazara told The Times then that patience for the sixth-year senior had worn thin through a frustrating season. His dismissal wasn't so much the result of one outburst or misstep, the person told The Times, but the culmination of a season's worth of issues that boiled over in the wake of the Nebraska loss.
Musselman and his staff seemed well aware last spring that Baker-Mazara's history in college basketball suggested he could be a handful. USC was Baker-Mazara's fifth school in six seasons.
USC guard Chad Baker-Mazara drives by Illinois State guard Johnny Kinziger on Nov. 14 in Inglewood. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
"There will never be a dull moment," Musselman said in May 2025. "Might be that I've got a little more on my plate."
The lawsuit doesn't contest that. It states that Musselman "confirmed that he knew Baker-Mazara was an emotional player susceptible to provocation." Musselman said at the time that he, as an emotional coach, felt well-suited to coaching a player such as Baker-Mazara.
Baker-Mazara said in a statement about the lawsuit that he "gave everything I had to USC."
"I played through injuries, showed up for my teammates every day, and honored my commitments," Baker-Mazara's statement read. "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. 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."
Read more: USC transfer Chad Baker-Mazara leans on his Dominican roots as he pushes to succeed
But after he was removed from the team, Baker-Mazara says in the lawsuit that he was given no reason for his dismissal. He was barred that following morning from accessing the facility, and according to the filing, informed by USC that he'd been kicked off the team, without any prior investigation.
The complaint alleges that House of Victory, the university's affiliated NIL collective, had yet to pay Baker-Mazara for the month of February, as is outlined in his NIL deal. His NIL contract was then terminated by House of Victory, according to the lawsuit, on the basis of a "morals clause" in the agreement. The morals clause allows for a contract to be terminated if the athlete has committed acts deemed to be "immoral, deceptive, scandalous or obscene" or acts that "could adversely affect USC, HOV, the USC athletic department, the USC men's basketball program, or any related parties or entities."
Baker-Mazara is looking to recoup the remainder of his contract with USC and is also seeking damages for the decline of his NBA draft stock in light of his dismissal. The lawsuit states that Baker-Mazara had an invite to a pre-NBA draft event rescinded because of his USC exit.
Baker-Mazara is still pursuing his dream of playing in the NBA. As of this week, he signed a contract with a G League affiliate in Mexico City.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times .
