R.J. Luis’ path to LSU has turned into a legal battle, and for now, he has a court order that says he can play.
The former St. John’s Big East Player of the Year, who signed two NBA contracts in 2025 after going undrafted in the ’25 NBA Draft, is still trying to land on the LSU roster for the 2026-27 season.
That effort had already hit a wall inside the program. At SEC Media Days on Oct.
13, Will Wade said LSU would handle the situation by the book.
“We’re going to follow all the SEC protocols with him,” Wade said about Luis at SEC Media Days on Oct. 13.
“I think it’s been pretty clear what the SEC protocols are on all that. He didn’t travel with us to McNeese, and he hasn’t been rostered.”
A week later, CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander reported that Wade and LSU had “given up their fight for Luis to be eligible,” citing SEC rules that would block a pro roster member from coming back to college after signing pro contracts. Luis also stopped practicing with the team, after previously working out with other players while waiting on NCAA clearance.
Luis’ situation is unusual even by modern roster standards. He signed with the Utah Jazz and the Boston Celtics in 2025 after averaging 18.2 points and 7.2 rebounds for St.
John’s in 2024-25, and his attorneys have kept pressing the case. In a new amendment to an Aug. 3 lawsuit against the NCAA, Luis and his lawyers are now also suing LSU and the SEC.
That move produced a breakthrough on Wednesday, when East Baton Rouge Parish 19th Judicial District Court judge Ronald S. Johnson signed an injunction making Luis temporarily eligible, according to Luis’ attorney Tony Clayton of Baton Rouge. Clayton said the order prevents the SEC from penalizing LSU if it includes Luis on the roster.
The next step comes Nov. 13, when representatives for LSU and the SEC are set to appear at a preliminary injunction hearing that will determine whether Luis can remain eligible. For now, Clayton and Johnson say Luis can play in LSU’s regular season opener on Nov. 3 against LSU-New Orleans at LSU, as well as the games against Texas Southern on Nov. 6 and Louisiana Tech on Nov.
- LSU’s trip to Gonzaga in Spokane, Washington, follows on Nov.
Still, LSU has not publicly said Luis will be added to the roster because of the ruling. Tiger Rag asked Wade and athletic director Verge Ausberry for comment on Luis’ status, but neither responded right away.
Luis signed with LSU last May, but both LSU officials and Wade viewed his path to the floor as a long shot from the start because of those NBA contract signings.
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