Another Former Pro Basketball Player Has Been Granted College Eligibility
A player with years of experience at the professional level will now be allowed to head back to college basketball, keeping up with a new controversial trend in the sport.
Former Alabama player Charles Bediako has received a temporary reinstatement to return to the team after spending multiple seasons in the NBA G League and on multiple Summer League rosters. Bediako went undrafted in 2023, and he signed a pro contract with the San Antonio Spurs. He didn't appear for the main team, but played 11 games for their G-League affiliate in Austin.
During that season, he averaged 7.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game while playing for around 19 minutes per contest. In addition to his time with the Spurs, Bediako spent time with the Orlando Magic, Denver Nuggets and Detroit Pistons.
Judge Makes In-Season Ruling on Former Pro
Tuscaloosa Circuit Court Judge James H. Roberts Jr. said that Bediako is “immediately eligible” to participate in team activities. Roberts also said that the NCAA is “restrained from threatening, imposing, attempting to impose, suggesting or implying any penalties or sanctions” on Bediako, Alabama, or any of its coaches and players.
“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 organization said.
“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.”
The order is valid for the next ten days, and a full hearing on Bediako's request for a preliminary injunction is set for next week. Alabama's next game is set for Saturday against Tennessee at home, and the 17th-ranked Crimson Tide are competing in a tough SEC race with other ranked teams.
Bediako's situation arises after another former professional player - James Nnaji - was allowed to be reinstated in December. Nnaji was the 31st pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, played in the Summer League and spent multiple years overseas with FC Barcelona.
Criticism of Former Pro Players Returning to College
The NCAA initially cleared players with professional experience on an international basis, and Bediako's complaint alleged that the organization showed bias toward those players instead of those who pursued opportunities in the United States.
Many college coaches and figures in the sport have spoken out about the return of players with professional experience, including Arkansas head coach John Calipari.
"Does anybody care what this is doing for 17- and 18-year-old American kids? Do you know what this opportunity has done for them and their families? There aren't going to be any high school kids," Calipari said back in December after the Nnaji decision.
"Who other than dumb people like me are going to recruit high school kids? I get so much satisfaction out of coaching young kids and seeing them grow and make it -- and their family and life changes -- that I'm going to keep doing it. But why would anybody else, if you can get NBA players, G League players, guys that are 28 years old, guys from Europe? Do we really know their transcript? Do we have somebody over there? Do we really know their birth certificate or don't we? We have no rules."
We'll see if Bediako returns to play for the Crimson Tide this season, but his scenario and others like it are emblematic of the blurring lines between amateur and professional sports in the NIL era.