Judge Grants Injunction Letting RJ Luis Jr. Play For LSU
A Louisiana judge cleared former St. John's guard RJ Luis Jr. to practice and potentially play for LSU this season, granting a preliminary injunction against the NCAA on Monday evening. East Baton Rouge Parish District Court Judge Ronald R. Johnson issued the ruling after a five-hour hearing, and Luis hugged LSU coach Will Wade in its aftermath.
Luis had briefly been under contract with the Utah Jazz and Boston Celtics but never appeared in an NBA game. He signed with LSU after leaving college basketball to turn pro in 2025, a move the NCAA argued made him unlikely to win reinstatement. His attorneys, Tony Clayton of Baton Rouge and Elliot Abrams of Raleigh, North Carolina, countered that the NCAA had already granted similar exceptions to players returning from professional leagues overseas, and argued American players deserved the same treatment. They noted Luis had not played in an NBA game and had also missed action with the Celtics' G League affiliate due to injury, leaving him with a thinner professional résumé than many college recruits arriving from abroad. netball online betting
NCAA attorney Taylor Askew rejected the comparison, arguing Luis' case differed because he chose to leave college for the NBA rather than a developmental program overseas. Askew pointed to Alabama center Charles Bediako as the closest parallel: Bediako won a temporary restraining order that let him play five games for Alabama last season before an Alabama judge ultimately ruled him ineligible, siding with the NCAA. "I understand Mr. Luis is disappointed that he was not drafted and did not play in the NBA as much as he would have liked," Askew said. "Actions have consequences. Decisions have outcomes and they're not always the right ones or the ones that you want."
In issuing his ruling, Johnson said Luis "did not actually play professional basketball" in the court's view, and noted that whether Luis had been properly advised of his options when he left college "lingers heavily before this court." Clayton called the decision significant but acknowledged the broader legal fight is far from over. "This allows him to go practice, go play and we'll let the legal process work itself out," he said, adding that discovery in the case has yet to begin. No timeline has been set for further proceedings.
