By JAMES MADDEN & ADAM ZAGORIA
A judge has granted a temporary restraining order to former Alabama center Charles Bediako and he is immediately eligible to participate in all the Crimson Tide’s basketball activities and games, according to a report from Nick Kelly of Al.com.
The No. 17 Tide next host Tennessee on Saturday.
Kelly pointed out that Alabama may wait to “proceed until after the hearing Tuesday to see if the preliminary injunction is granted.”
Alabama coach Nate Oats did not immediately respond to a text message seeking comment.
The 7-foot Bediako initially committed to Alabama in 2021. He spent two seasons at the school and started in 37 games for the Crimson Tide before deciding to turn pro.
He was most recently a member of the Motor City Cruise, the NBA G-League affiliate of the Detroit Pistons and has been playing professional basketball since 2023. He has never played in an NBA game but signed both a two-year NBA contract enabling him to play in the G League and multiple Exhibit-10 contracts. Averaging just under 15 minutes per game this season in the G League, Bediako has tallied 5.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
Bediako sued the NCAA for college eligibility, it was revealed in a court filing on Tuesday. He argued for a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction that would grant him eligibility to play for Alabama this season.
According to Bediako’s court filing, he has enrolled at Alabama for the spring semester, with the intentions of playing this season.
The NCAA and Alabama both released statements on Wednesday.
“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 statement read, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel. “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.”
Alabama’s statement read:
“The University of Alabama supports Charles and his ongoing efforts to be reinstated for competition while he works to complete his degree.”
Prominent college basketball writer Seth Davis posted a quote from Oats on Wednesday about the controversial James Nnaji situation and his eligibility at Baylor. Nnaji is a former NBA Draft pick who never played in an NBA game and is currently with Baylor.
“I think it’s taking away opportunities from kids coming out of high school. I was a high school coach for 11 years. I wanted my kids to get opportunities when they left my program. This is taking opportunities away from those kids,” Oats said.
Bediako’s attorney, Darren Heitner, said in the filing that Bediako regrets leaving Alabama and cited recent instances where the NCAA granted former G-League players collegiate eligibility.
“Had Mr. Bediako had more foresight to see the paradigm-shifting changes coming to compensation for NCAA athletes, he likely would still be on campus playing for the University of Alabama right now,” Heitner wrote. “When the NCAA recently began to reinstate players with G League experience, and even players who had entered and been selected in the NBA Draft, Mr. Bediako saw this as a chance to right a wrong decision that he had regretted over the past three years.”
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