Charles Bediako Ruled Ineligible: Alabama Center's Return to College Hoops Comes to a Halt
The comeback story of Charles Bediako has hit a wall. A judge has officially denied the Alabama center’s request to continue playing this season, ending a brief but eventful return to college basketball.
Bediako, 23, had rejoined the Crimson Tide after a stint in the NBA G League, appearing in five games and starting two during the 2025-26 season. But his eligibility was always under scrutiny, and now it's been definitively revoked.
Alabama, in a public statement, didn’t hide its frustration with the ruling. The university pointed to a growing list of players with prior professional experience who’ve been granted eligibility by the NCAA. Their message was clear: the inconsistency is hard to ignore.
“The NCAA has granted eligibility to over 100 current men’s basketball players with prior professional experience in the G League or overseas,” the statement read. “Granting eligibility to some former professionals, and not to others…”
That inconsistency is at the heart of Bediako’s case. His path back to Tuscaloosa included a temporary restraining order that allowed him to suit up again, despite having signed multiple NBA contracts and logging G League minutes with the Motor City Cruise, Grand Rapids Gold, and Austin Spurs over the past two seasons.
But that restraining order expired on January 27, and with the judge's latest decision, Bediako is officially sidelined for the remainder of the season - and potentially for good.
A Complicated Journey Back
Bediako’s college career began with promise. He was a key piece on Alabama’s NCAA tournament teams in 2021-22 and 2022-23, earning SEC All-Freshman honors in 2022 and landing on both the All-Defensive and All-Tournament teams a year later. His 14-point, 16-rebound showing against North Carolina in the 2023 NCAA Tournament was a defining moment, helping the Tide reach the Sweet Sixteen.
That 2023 season saw him start 37 games for a No. 1-seeded Alabama squad, averaging 6.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game across his college career. But after going undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft, Bediako took his talents to the G League, where he played for three different teams over two seasons. He even earned a look from the Detroit Pistons, appearing in two preseason games before being waived in October 2025.
Despite never playing in a regular-season NBA game, Bediako still had two years of college eligibility left. That’s what made his return to Alabama possible - at least temporarily.
On January 21, a judge ruled that he could rejoin the program while his lawsuit against the NCAA played out. The suit came after the NCAA denied Alabama’s appeal to reinstate him.
But NCAA President Charlie Baker made the organization’s stance clear just hours before that ruling: players who have signed NBA contracts, like Bediako, would not be eligible to return to college competition.
A Larger Debate in College Hoops
Bediako’s case has sparked a broader conversation about what “professional experience” really means in today’s college basketball landscape. Other players have returned to the NCAA despite signing NBA contracts or playing overseas. James Nnaji, for example, was the 31st pick in the 2023 draft and joined Baylor this season - though, unlike Bediako, he had no prior college experience.
Then there’s Puff Johnson, who didn’t sign an NBA deal but recently joined Ohio State and could see action against Michigan. These cases illustrate how murky the NCAA’s eligibility rules have become in the era of NIL, the transfer portal, and expanded professional pathways.
For Bediako, the ruling is a tough blow. He’d averaged 18.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, and 1.5 steals in limited action this season and had shown flashes of dominance that made him a top prospect just a few years ago.
His return wasn’t without controversy. During Alabama’s February 1 matchup with Florida, Gators fans let him hear it at the free-throw line, chanting “G LEAGUE DROPOUT!!” in a moment that went viral.
Now, those chants take on a different tone. What was once a comeback story is now a cautionary tale about the blurred lines between pro and college basketball. Bediako’s time with Alabama is over - not because of his play, but because of a system still figuring out how to handle the new normal.
The door to his college career has closed. What comes next for Bediako remains to be seen.