R.J. Luis, who signed with the Utah Jazz after entering the NBA Draft and was then traded to the Boston Celtics, just committed to play at LSU. That, right there, pretty much summarizes the state of big-time college sports.
Luis, the 2024-25 Big East Player of the Year, went unselected in the 2025 NBA Draft. A few days later, he signed a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz. In August, he was traded by the Jazz to the Boston Celtics for Georges Niang, a 2027 2nd-round draft pick and a 2031 2nd-round draft pick. In October, he was waived by the Celtics. Two days later, he signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Boston. The next day, the Maine Celtics of the G League waived him.
So, the now 23-year-old, who didn’t play in a single game for either the Celtics or the Jazz, wants to return to college basketball with the LSU Tigers.
There’s just one problem. After all of that, he doesn’t have any college eligibility left because the NCAA states that any player who signs an NBA contract is ineligible.
College basketball players have attempted this sort of thing before
Former Alabama center Charles Bediako declared for the 2023 NBA Draft, and like R.J. Luis, he was not selected. He would then go on to sign a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs and played for three different G League teams.
Last year, he decided he wanted to return to play college basketball for Alabama. And he did. He sued the NCAA and was granted a temporary restraining order that allowed him to play. That lasted five games until a judge ruled against him.
“Common sense won a round today,” NCAA president Charlie Baker said after the judge’s ruling. “The court saw this for what it is: an attempt by professionals to pivot back to college and crowd out the next generation of students. College sports are for students, not for people who already walked away to go pro and now want to hit the ‘undo’ button at the expense of a teenager’s dream. While we’re glad the court upheld the rules our members actually want, one win doesn’t fix the national mess of state laws. It’s time for Congress to stop watching from the sidelines and help us provide some actual stability.”
It now remains to be seen if “common sense” will still prevail in the case of R.J. Luis.