Ex-Alabama, G League player Bediako sues NCAA over eligibility

Former Alabama star Charles Bediako, who entered the 2023 NBA Draft and played in the G League this season, sued the NCAA for immediate reinstatement to join the Crimson Tide for the remainder of the 2025-26 season after the school’s appeal for his eligibility was denied.

Bediako’s complaint, which was filed Tuesday in Tuscaloosa Circuit Court, names several G League players who were recently cleared by the NCAA and Baylor center James Nnaji, who was the 31st pick in the 2023 NBA draft. Nnaji never signed an NBA contract and was granted eligibility to play for the Bears in December. Bediako’s complaint also argues that the NCAA favored international players with professional experience.

“The NCAA’s recent reinstatement of James Nnaji, as well as other European professional players, has shown that the current application of eligibility rules favors players who have competed at the international level over athletes who have sought opportunities at the national level,” the complaint states. “Despite being selected 31st overall in the NBA draft, Nnaji was recently reinstated and will have four seasons of NCAA eligibility. This is despite Nnaji playing professionally for at least three seasons in Europe, including two for powerhouse FC Barcelona. NCAA rules also create a completely arbitrary distinction between student-athletes who go straight from high school to professional competition and those who initially enroll in college, then leave for the draft, and then are looking to come back.”

Bediako averaged 10.4 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 34 regular season games for Grand Rapids Gold in the G League last season. He has played in six regular season games for the Motor City Cruise this season, as well as five for the Austin Spurs in 2023-24.

The case of Bediako – who averaged 6.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks from the 2021-22 season to the 2022-23 season at Alabama – is unprecedented. Although he was not selected in the 2023 NBA draft and never appeared in an NBA game, he signed a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs that year. No two-way player has ever been granted eligibility to play college basketball, and NCAA President Charlie Baker said last month that “the NCAA has not and will not grant eligibility to any prospective or returning student-athlete who has signed an NBA contract (including a two-way contract).”

The NCAA reiterated that position in a statement Tuesday.

“The NCAA is aware of media reports regarding a lawsuit filed against the NCAA by Charles Bediako,” the statement said. “Mr. Bediako signed three NBA contracts after competing in college for two seasons. The NCAA has not and will not grant eligibility to prospective or returning student-athletes who have signed an NBA contract. The eligibility rules ensure that high school students have a chance to earn scholarships, and we will continue to consistently enforce and defend these rules.”

If Bediako — who is currently enrolled at Alabama — is granted eligibility by a judge, it could open the door for other young NBA players and two-way players who could also challenge NCAA rules to gain more collegiate eligibility.

Bediako, a 7-foot center, helped Alabama reach the NCAA tournament in his two seasons before entering the NBA draft. Because he began his college career in 2021, he would likely only have the remainder of this season to complete his window of four seasons in five years, per NCAA rules, if he were eligible.

Bediako’s complaint says the school’s request for his immediate eligibility was denied due to the NCAA’s “draconian” rules. The complaint also states that he would not have left the university in 2023 if he had known that the current income sharing and NIL opportunities could have been available to him.

“The NCAA’s arbitrary and inconsistent application of its eligibility standards inflicts immediate and irreparable harm on [Bediako]” said Darren Heitner, one of Bediako’s lawyers, in a statement on