RJ Luis Jr. has been granted a preliminary injunction allowing him to play for LSU this season, despite having already signed multiple NBA contracts. A Louisiana judge ruled Monday that Luis can suit up for the Tigers after the NCAA challenged his eligibility. Luis went undrafted in 2025, signed a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz and later joined the Boston Celtics organization.
The situation has drawn plenty of criticism around college basketball, particularly because Luis wasn't simply an NBA hopeful who never found a contract. He was literally involved in an NBA trade. The Celtics acquired Luis from Utah in a deal that sent Georges Niang and two future second-round picks to the Jazz. Luis never appeared in a regular-season NBA game, but the fact that an NBA franchise valued him enough to acquire him makes his return to college basketball an unusual situation.
Jeff Goodman also revealed that he spoke with Luis' father in May 2025, shortly after Luis won Big East Player of the Year and decided to forgo college basketball for the NBA Draft. According to Goodman, the family “knew exactly what they were doing” when they turned down millions of dollars in NIL opportunities despite knowing Luis was unlikely to be drafted.
That makes the current situation even more difficult to understand. Luis didn't accidentally fall into the professional ranks; his camp made a calculated decision to pursue the NBA. He went undrafted, signed a two-way deal with Utah and was eventually literally involved in an NBA trade, when Boston acquired him from the Jazz.
Luis was the 2025 Big East Player of the Year and a consensus second-team All-American at St. John's, so there is no question LSU is getting a talented player. But the bigger question is where the line should be drawn between college athletes and players who have already entered the professional system. This case could have major implications for future players who briefly turn pro before attempting to return to college basketball.
