Alabama center Charles Bediako spent nearly three years in the pros before returning to the Crimson Tide. It took a lawsuit to get him back, but more players may soon follow his example.
It had been 1,037 days since Charles Bediako last pulled on an Alabama basketball jersey. In the interim, he entered the 2023 NBA Draft, signed a two-way deal with the San Antonio Spurs and spent three seasons toiling away in the G League. He did everything a professional basketball player might do short of logging minutes in an actual NBA game.
Yet on Jan. 24, the 23-year-old was back in school, wearing a white Alabama top and throwing down dunks against Tennessee. And somehow, this was all perfectly legaleven if it might not be for long.
Bediako's strange trip from Tuscaloosa, Ala. to the NBA and backwhere he encounters chants of "G League dropout"is the latest sign that the line that once separated unpaid undergraduates from the pros is eroding beyond recognition. The result is widespread confusion that has coaches scratching their heads and urgently calling for clarity.
"First of all, the systems are broken and I'm all for figuring out a way to fix it," said Alabama coach Nate Oats last week. "But for now we're going to continue to support Charles."
Coincidentally, the judge overseeing Bediako's case, Judge James H. Roberts Jr., happens to be a major Alabama donor. According to the website of the university's athletics foundation, the lifetime donations by Roberts and his wife fall between $100,000 and $249,000.
Although Roberts has said that he remains impartial, he stepped back after the NCAA requested that he recuse himself from the case due to the "appearance of partiality."
This isn't the only twist in Bediako's case, however. The hearing that was supposed to take place on Jan. 27 was postponed because the lawyer representing the NCAA was snowed in by the recent blizzard in Tennessee.
That means Bediako is free to play until the rescheduled hearing on Feb. 6. That span included Sunday's game against Florida, the defending national champions, and a Wednesday meeting with Texas A&M, the team currently atop the SEC standings.
And Bediako's return seems to have emboldened others. Amari Bailey was drafted out of UCLA in the same year as Nnaji, signed the same type of professional contract as Bediako and appeared in 10 games for the Charlotte Hornets. Over the weekend, the 21-year-old announced plans to sue the NCAA for another year of eligibility.
None of the players who took a detour to the pros have been as impactful to their teams as Bediako, though. In his three appearances for Alabama, he's averaging 11 points and 5.3 rebounds while averaging 22 minutes.
NBA Players Are Flocking Back to College Basketball. Coaches Have No Idea What to Do. - WSJ 
