Chad Baker-Mazara departed USC basketball last season in the wake of head coach Eric Musselman delivering a “profanity-laced, racially-charged” locker room tirade against him, the erstwhile player alleges in a newly filed lawsuit.
Baker-Mazara, USC’s leading scorer last season, filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles on Monday, according to the New York Post.
His action alleges Musselman exploded after the team’s loss to Nebraska on Feb. 28 with Baker-Mazara and the Trojans parting ways a few days later.
The university is being sued for breach of contract, conversion and intentional interference with prospective economic advantage, among other things.
The lawsuit claims Musselman shouted, “You shut the f—k up! You are one of the worst teammates anyone can ever have!” at Baker-Mazara in the locker room after the loss to Nebraska.
When the senior asked if he should leave, he claims Musselman responded, “Yes, leave! Go back to the f—king Dominican Republic! Nobody wants you here! F—k you!”
Baker-Mazara was dismissed from the program the following day.
FILE: USC Trojans guard Chad Baker-Mazara (4) walks off the court in pain as head coach Eric Musselman looks on during a college basketball game between the USC Trojans and the UCLA Bruins on February 24, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA. (Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty)
Additionally, Baker-Mazara claims USC intentionally skipped an NIL payment and then allegedly attempted to terminate the agreement, citing a “morals clause.”
“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 lawsuit states.
“The tirade was unprovoked, vicious, and discriminatory.”
In an interview with USA Today in June, Baker-Mazara said he had not heard from Musselman following the alleged altercation, but called the dismissal “hurtful”and ran counter to what he thought was a “strong” relationship with his ex-coach.
FILE: USC guard Chad Baker-Mazara talks to head coach Eric Musselman during an NCAA Basketball game between the Purdue Boilermakers and USC Trojans at Galen Center on January 17, 2026, in Los Angeles, CA. Seth Greenberg/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
“[Musselman and I] didn’t see eye to eye on everything but at the end of the day, I feel like we had a strong enough relationship, or nothing bad enough happened, to where I should’ve been dismissed from the team,” Baker-Mazara said to USA Today in June.
In a statement to the Daily Trojan, USC wrote that “The decision to remove the student-athlete from the men’s basketball roster was based on a number of considerations, none having to do with race. We look forward to defeating this action in court.”
Baker-Mazara is out of college eligibility and was drafted this year by the Gigantes de Carolina, a professional basketball team in Puerto Rico.