In a motion filed Tuesday in Tuscaloosa County, Ala., court, Bediako requested a temporary restraining order and/or preliminary injunction that would make him immediately eligible for the NCAA. Bediako, a 7-foot center from Brampton, Ontario, previously played two seasons for Alabama from 2021 to 2023, averaging 6.6 points and 5.2 rebounds in 70 total games. Bediako, 23, declared for the 2023 NBA Draft with two seasons of eligibility remaining but went undrafted. He later signed a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs and played for multiple G League teams, most recently in December 2025. He has not appeared in an NBA game.
Bediako’s lawsuit follows a wave of former G League players and international pros joining college basketball this season, including James Nnaji, a 2023 draft pick who played in the NBA Summer League and recently received four seasons of collegiate eligibility at Baylor.
If the court rules in Bediako’s favor, he could become the first modern example of a former college basketball player returning to the sport after being ineligible to declare for the draft. (Larry Bird famously returned to Indiana State for his senior season after being selected by the Boston Celtics in the 1978 draft.)
The motion states that Bediako will “suffer irreparable harm” if he is not immediately reinstated by the NCAA because of the competitive, financial and educational opportunities he would miss. The complaint states that Bediako is enrolled at the University of Alabama this semester, and under current eligibility rules, this is the last semester in which he could be eligible to compete because his five-year eligibility period began in 2021.
“When he chose to enter his name in the 2023 NBA Draft, Mr. Bediako could not have imagined the monumental change in the landscape of college athletics that has occurred since then,” the complaint reads. “If Mr. Bediako had known that he could have earned compensation directly from his university while remaining a student-athlete, he would never have left school to pursue financial gain elsewhere.”
The eligibility of Nnaji, who has played in six games since January 3, caused a stir in college sports as he was previously drafted. But Nnaji, like the other international and G League eligible players, never played in the NBA or signed an NBA contract, including a two-way deal.
In a statement released last month, NCAA President Charlie Baker made a distinction in terms of eligibility.
“The NCAA has not and will not grant eligibility to prospective or returning student-athletes who have signed an NBA contract (including a two-way contract),” Baker said.
The NCAA reiterated that in a separate statement on Tuesday.
“The NCAA is aware of media reports of a lawsuit filed against the NCAA by Charles Bediako,” the report said. “Mr. Bediako signed three NBA contracts after competing for two seasons in college. The NCAA has not granted eligibility to prospective or returning student-athletes who have signed an NBA contract. The eligibility rules ensure that high school seniors have an opportunity to earn college scholarships, and we will continue to consistently enforce and defend these rules.”
The @NCAA has not and will not grant eligibility to prospective or returning student-athletes who have signed a signed agreement @NBA contract (including a two-way contract). As schools increasingly recruit people with experience in international competition, the NCAA…
— Charlie Baker (@CharlieBakerMA) December 30, 2025
Bediako representatives argue against this eligibility distinction in the complaint, stating that “the NCAA has arbitrarily determined that it is acceptable” for an athlete to compete professionally and then attend college but not return to college.
“There is no principled justification for treating these groups of student-athletes differently,” the complaint states.
The complaint alleges that Bediako only filed the lawsuit after the NCAA denied the University of Alabama’s request to reinstate his eligibility. Alabama athletics did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Bediako’s case is the latest and newest wrinkle in an issue that has led many prominent names in the sport, especially coaches, to speak out about the confusion and uncertainty of these eligibility disputes. Arkansas coach John Calipari recently wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post endorsing collective bargaining as a way to address persistent problems in college sports.
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