Former NBA G League player Charles Bediako, who hasn't played basketball for the University of Alabama since 2023, has been granted a temporary restraining order, giving him immediate eligibility to participate in all Crimson Tide men’s basketball activities and games.
As reported by AL.com, the order from Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court judge James H. Roberts will remain in effect by law for 10 days or until a hearing can take place. A hearing on the preliminary injunction is currently set for 9 a.m. local time Jan. 27.
Related: Ex-Alabama Star Who Played in G League Sues NCAA to Play Rest of This Season
Bediako entered the 2023 NBA draft and signed a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs that year, ESPN reported. Bediako, who went undrafted and never appeared in an NBA game after he played on two NCAA tournament teams at Alabama in 2021-22 and 2022-23, had sued the NCAA a day earlier after it denied the school's appeal to allow him to return to college basketball.
"The judge's monumental ruling came hours after NCAA president Charlie Baker reiterated that Bediako and other players who've signed NBA contracts would not be granted eligibility to play college basketball," ESPN's Myron Medcalf wrote. "The case could potentially reshape the sport in a turbulent time. While the NCAA has recently cleared international players with professional experience and G League players, those athletes had not previously played college basketball. This is the first time a player who entered an NBA draft and signed an NBA contract after playing college basketball has been given the chance to return to Division I basketball."
"The University of Alabama supports Charles and his ongoing efforts to be reinstated for competition while he works to complete his degree," Alabama said in a statement, as reported by ESPN.
"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," the NCAA said in a new statement Wednesday, per ESPN. "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."
According to AL.com's Matt Stahl, the NCAA had sharply criticized Bediako’s move to sue after it denied a petition from Alabama to allow him to return. In a statement to AL.com shortly after the lawsuit, it said it was prepare to fight.
“The NCAA is aware of media reports about a lawsuit filed against the NCAA by Charles Bediako,” the NCAA wrote on Tuesday. “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.”
