In an effort to boost his draft stock, P.J. Hairston and the Texas Legends have confirmed the former Tar Heel guard has signed to play in the NBA developmental league.

According to ESPN, Hairston said he will continue to take classes online at the University of North Carolina (UNC) while playing in the D-league. He chose not to sign a professional contract oversees so he could raise his stock for the NBA Draft while remaining in the U.S.

Hairston entered his name into the D-league player pool Friday and, with the Legends, who held the first selection, selected him. The Texas Legends are owned by Dallas Mavericks' president Donnie Nelson and are the team's D-league affiliate. The Legends are coached by veteran forward Eduardo Najera.

Hairston was suspended indefinitely from the Tar Heels basketball team before the start of the season for multiple traffic violations. The cars he was driving were rentals under the name of a felon named Haydn "Fats" Thomas, which, in part, lead to the school declining to seek Hairston's NCAA reinstatement.

NBA D-league rules will not allow Hairston to be called up the NBA this season because he is eligible to enter the NBA draft in June.

"I am excited to continue to pursue my degree at UNC while also pursing my dream of becoming a professional basketball player," Hairston said in a statement Friday.

At the time of Hairston's non-reinstatement, Tar Heels coach Roy Williams said he was sad to see the talented basketball player leave and also for violating team rules.

"I am extremely disappointed for P.J., his family and our team as he will no longer be playing basketball at North Carolina," Williams said in a statement. "P.J. made mistakes and I was very disappointed by his actions and now he is suffering the very difficult consequences. He is not a bad kid; he just made some mistakes."

Hairston is a six-foot-six guard who led the Tar Heels in scoring as a sophomore with 14.6 points per game. Some ESPN experts predict Hairston could be a first-round draft pick if he plays well in the D-league.

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