Story by
Charles Bediako played 82 G League games. Now, he's eligible again for Alabama basketball
- Story by
- Charles Bediako played 82 G League games. Now, he's eligible again for Alabama basketball
Three years and nearly 1,700 minutes of professional basketball since playing his last game for the Alabama men's basketball team, Charles Bediako will once be a part of the Crimson Tide program — not as a coach, a graduate assistant or a student manager, but as a player.
Bediako, a 6-foot-11 center who played at Alabama from 2021-23 before moving on to the G League, has been granted a temporary restraining order by a Tuscaloosa County (Alabama) Circuit Court judge that makes him immediately eligible to compete for the Crimson Tide.
Advertisement
The order will remain in effect for 10 days or until a hearing takes place. A hearing on the preliminary injunction is currently scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 27.
REQUIRED READING: Football season is over. Here's what you missed so far in college basketball
The decision, which was first reported by AL.com , comes one day after Bediako filed a request to Tuscaloosa Circuit Court for a temporary restraining order and/or preliminary injunction.
Bediako has already enrolled at Alabama and could return to action for the Crimson Tide as soon as Saturday, Jan. 24, when it hosts Tennessee. He is not listed on the team's official roster.
Advertisement
"The University of Alabama supports Charles and his ongoing efforts to be reinstated for competition while he works to complete his degree," the school said in a statement released on Wednesday.
Coach Nate Oats' team is 13-5 this season and ranked No. 17 in the latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll .
The NCAA had previously denied Bediako's request for additional eligibility and expressed disappointment with the judge's ruling in a statement Wednesday.
"These attempts to sidestep NCAA rules and recruit individuals who have finished their time in college or signed NBA contracts are taking away opportunities from high school students," the statement read . "A judge ordering the NCAA let a former NBA player take the court Saturday against actual college student-athletes is exactly why Congress must step in and empower college sports to enforce our eligibility rules."
Advertisement
As a sophomore in 2022-23, the Brampton, Ontario native averaged 6.4 points, six rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game for an Alabama team that earned the No. 1 overall seed to the 2023 NCAA Tournament, where it lost to eventual national runner-up San Diego State in the Sweet 16. That season, Bediako was named to the SEC all-defensive team.
Following the season, he declared for the NBA Draft, but was not selected. He instead joined the San Antonio Spurs on a two-way deal and over the next three seasons played in 82 games in the G League for three different teams. He has averaged 4.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in 16 games this season for the Motor City Cruise, the Detroit Pistons' G League affiliate. He played for the Cruise as recently as Jan. 17, when he had four points and three rebounds in a 127-103 win against the Birmingham Squadron.
To this point, he has never played in an NBA game.
He becomes the latest G League player to join the college ranks, a group that also includes London Johnson at Louisville, Thierry Darlan at Santa Clara and Abdullah Ahmed at BYU. The trend that has drawn public criticism from coaches across the sport, most notably Michigan State's Tom Izzo .
Advertisement
REQUIRED READING: College basketball's biggest surprises, disappointments so far this season
Charles Bediako stats
Since leaving Alabama, Bediako appeared in 82 G League games across three seasons with the Austin Spurs, Grand Rapids Gold and Motor City Cruise.
Here's a look at his stats from his professional career:
-
2023-24 (Austin): 5.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 0.5 blocks in 14.6 minutes per game
-
2024-25 (Grand Rapids): 9.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 24.5 minutes per game
-
2025-26 (Motor City): 4.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 0.6 blocks in 15.1 minutes per game
Charles Bediako college stats
In two seasons at Alabama, from 2021-23, Bediako averaged 6.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 19.4 minutes per game while shooting 67.3% from the field and 48.8% from the free-throw line.
Charles Bediako age
Born on March 10, 2002, Bediako is 23 years old.
Advertisement
Charles Bediako draft
After his sophomore season, Bediako entered the 2023 NBA Draft, but was not picked. He signed a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs and joined their G League affiliate in Austin, Texas.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alabama's Charles Bediako granted temporary restraining order, immediately eligible
