Former Alabama basketball player Charles Bediako is suing the NCAA in attempt to return to the Crimson Tide. Bediako filed a request in Tuscaloosa Circuit Court on Tuesday, asking for “immediate preliminary and permanent injunctive relief.”
Bediako’s request notes that he was not selected after leaving Alabama for the 2023 NBA Draft and has only played in the G League.
He notes other players who also played professional basketball before returning to college.
“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,” the complaint reads. “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.”
Bediako spent two seasons with Alabama men’s basketball from 2021 through 2023 before he declared for the NBA draft. He made the SEC all-defensive team in 2023. He was a central piece of the Alabama team that earned the No. 1 overall seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
After Bediako went undrafted, he joined the San Antonio Spurs organization on a two-way deal. He never saw time with the San Antonio Spurs, but he played in five games with the Austin Spurs in 2023-24, the G League affiliate, per the NBA G League website. He also spent time with the Grand Rapids Gold in the G League the next season with 34 games and 34 starts. Then in 2025-26, Bediako has played for the Motor City Cruise.
“The NCAA has taken the stance that participation in NBA G League games does not render an athlete ineligible for future NCAA competition,” the complaint reads. “When the NCAA recently reinstated James Nnaji, who was drafted 31st overall in the 2023 NBA Draft (the same draft that Mr. Bediako entered), the NCAA also determined that a player’s entering and remaining in the NBA Draft does not render the student-athlete ineligible for future NCAA competition.”
Other examples of players rejoining the college ranks after spending time in the G League includes London Johnson at Louisville and Abdullah Ahmed at BYU.
Bediako has already enrolled at UA. He is attempting to return to the court this season, requesting an immediate order stopping the NCAA from keeping him out of games.
“He should be treated similarly to other athletes who have been deemed eligible and the NCAA should be held to a standard where it cannot apply its rules arbitrarily,” Darren Heitner, Bediako’s attorney, wrote in a statement to AL.com.
AL.com has also requested comment from Alabama athletics.
The filing notes that Bediako will suffer irreparable harm if not allowed to play immediately.
“Official regular season games for the University of Alabama’s 2025-2026 men’s basketball season have already begun and the team has already started conference play within the Southeastern Conference,” that filing says. “Mr. Bediako will be irreparably harmed if he is not able to join the team immediately because of the lost development and opportunity to become integrated with his teammates and potentially participate in a postseason run.”
According to the filing, Alabama asked the NCAA to allow Bediako to play. The complain claims that the NCAA denied that request, leading to the filing on Tuesday.
“Despite the numerous examples provided by the success of other student athletes in seeking waivers and courts who have enjoined the NCAA from denying players eligibility when the NCAA denies their waiver requests, the NCAA denied the University of Alabama’s petition to reinstate Mr. Bediako as a member of its basketball program,” it reads. “The only recourse left to Mr. Bediako is to seek the intervention of this Court to right the NCAA’s unjust and arbitrary application of its rules against him.”
Bediako notes in the filing that if the NCAA’s rule allowing athletes five years to play four seasons of eligibility, this current semester would be the final one in which he could play college basketball.
The NCAA provided AL.com with a written statement after the initial story was published.
“The NCAA is aware of media reports about a lawsuit filed against the NCAA by Charles Bediako,” the statement reads. “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.”
