The confusion over just who is eligible to play college basketball isn’t about to clear up anytime soon. While the NCAA has made known its position on the matter following Baylor bringing NBA draft pick James Nnaji in for conference season and the furor that brought on, things are getting muddier once more thanks to the courts.
That’s because former Alabama center Charles Bediako is a current Alabama center once more, as he was granted a temporary restraining order by Tuscaloosa County judge James Roberts that allows him to immediately rejoin Alabama, per AL.com.
NCAA president Charlie Baker’s stated position is that players must not have signed an NBA contract, even a two-way one in the G-League, to remain eligible for college basketball. Being drafted and playing in the G-League, as Nnaji did, is fine – had he signed a deal that would allow him to switch between the NBA’s developmental and major leagues at will, however, making him effectively a member of both rosters at once, then he would not have been allowed to join Baylor this season, or ever.
Bediako, however, has signed a two-way deal, and in fact has inked three of them. While he is yet to play in the NBA, he still played G-League games while under a two-way contract, which in the position of the NCAA makes him ineligible to return. Bediako, though, who played for a No. 1-seed Alabama team in the 2023 Men’s Basketball Tournament, filed suit against the NCAA on Tuesday, demanding the ability to use his remaining years of eligibility – Bediako entered the NBA Draft following his sophomore season in 2023, but went undrafted and joined the G-League afterward.
Since he is still within the five-year period after enrolling at Alabama in 2021, Bediako is attempting to regain his remaining eligibility, even if he signed two-way contracts that otherwise end said eligibility in the eyes of the NCAA. However, Bediako isn’t leaving it up to the NCAA to decide, which is where the courts come in.
The NCAA released a statement on Tuesday responding to the reports of the lawsuit from Bediako, stating, “The NCAA is aware of media reports about a lawsuit filed against the NCAA by Charles Bediako. Mr. Bediako signed three NBA contracts after competing in college for two seasons. The NCAA has not and will not grant eligibility to any prospective or returning student-athletes who have signed an NBA contract. Eligibility rules ensure high school students get a shot at earning scholarships, and we will continue to consistently apply and defend these rules.”
The judge’s restraining order allows for this to be overridden in the present, however, and now the ex-Alabama center can rejoin the Crimson Tide as early as this weekend, when No. 17 Bama takes on Tennessee in SEC play on Saturday. The restraining order is temporary, however, so whether Bediako will retain his eligibility – or whether this is the start of a trend that further breaks down the established eligibility requirements – is not a given.
The NCAA released another statement on Wednesday in reaction to the news, saying that, “These attempts to sidestep NCAA rules and recruit individuals who have finished their time in college or signed NBA contracts are taking away opportunities from high school students. A judge ordering the NCAA let a former NBA player take the court Saturday against actual college student-athletes is exactly why Congress must step in and empower college sports to enforce our eligibility rules.”
