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How is ex-G League player Charles Bediako back at Alabama? What to know
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- How is ex-G League player Charles Bediako back at Alabama? What to know
Two years after playing in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament South Region, Charles Bediako will be back on the hardwood for Alabama men's basketball.
The 7-foot center's return to the Crimson Tide is one of the biggest storylines in college basketball, as he was recently granted a temporary restraining order to return to Nate Oats' program after playing in the G-League after going undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft.
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He's the latest player to re-enter college basketball after being in the NBA draft and playing in the G-League, a growing laundry list of players that started with Thierry Darlan and London Johnson committing to Santa Clara and Louisville, respectively.
Here's what to know about Bediako and his situation at Alabama ahead of the 17th-ranked Crimson Tide's SEC clash against Tennessee on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 8:30 p.m. ET inside Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama:
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Is Charles Bediako playing for Alabama today?
Yes, the expectation is that Bediako will play for the Crimson Tide on Saturday against Tennessee. Alabama added Bediako to its official roster on Friday, Jan. 23, and he will wear No. 14.
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"First of all, the system is clearly broken and I'm all for figuring out a way to fix it, but since the NCAA has already allowed professionals to play virtually every team we've played this year or will play as a former professional player on their roster, you tell me how I'm supposed to tell Charles and the team that we're not going to support them when he's been deemed legally eligible to play. So Charles is still within his five-year window. He's 23 years old. He's pursuing his degree here at Alabama," Alabama coach Nate Oats said on Jan. 23 during a media availability.
"We've got our roster spot open so this is not taking any opportunities away from a high school recruit or anybody else. Charles shouldn't be punished for choosing to go the academic route out of high school rather than the professional route like the international players did. So again, my personal opinion on all this is we need a uniform and transparent system that doesn't punish the Americans, that takes the hypocrisy out of it, that gives equal treatment to Americans and international players both, while also allowing high school players the opportunities they need coming out of school.
"So someone should be able to come up with a system that checks all those boxes, but for now we're going to continue to support Charles, our team, and we're working closely with our administration, our compliance department on all of this. So that's what I've got on that. Now for the Tennessee game, listen, and I know Charles will draw a lot of attention for this game, but yeah, we are planning to play him. He's eligible to play. We're going to follow the court orders."
REQUIRED READING: Nate Oats takes America First stance on Charles Bediako
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Latest on Charles Bediako situation at Alabama
The Crimson Tide forward declared for the NBA Draft following his sophomore season with the Crimson Tide in 2023 but was not selected by one of the NBA's 30 franchises. A veteran G-League player, Bediako most recently was playing for the Detroit Pistons' G-League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise . He had four points and three rebounds in the Cruise's 127-103 win against the Birmingham Squadron on Jan. 17.
As noted by the Tuscaloosa News — part of the USA TODAY Network — the NCAA denied Alabama's initial request to restore the 23-year-old's eligibility to return to the Crimson Tide. In a countermove, Bediako filed a lawsuit against the NCAA with the Tuscaloosa Circuit Court on Tuesday, Jan. 20 to use the remainder of his eligibility. He's enrolled in classes at Alabama as well.
On Wednesday, Jan. 21, Judge James Roberts Jr. granted Bediako a temporary restraining order to return to the Crimson Tide as a collegiate student-athlete until his next injunction hearing on Tuesday, Jan. 27.
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The NCAA shared its displeasure with the judge's decision in a statement on Jan. 21.
"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 NCAA said in a statement . "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."
An added layer to the headlines that this situation has created is that Judge Roberts is a frequent guest lecturer at Alabama and is listed by the Crimson Tide Foundation as an active "Circle" level donor in the Lifetime Giving Society.
In a statement shared on Jan. 23, NCAA senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt spoke on the pre- and -post NBA Draft eligibility rules that the NCAA has and the NCAA's withdrawal deadline.
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"If these rules surrounding the NCAA pre- and post-draft rules cannot be enforced, it would create an unstable environment for the student-athletes, schools building a roster for the following season and the NBA," Gavitt wrote. "The NCAA membership has a set of rules in place regarding the pre- and post-NBA draft eligibility that have clearly been in place and supported by all parties until these recent court challenges."
Alabama AD Greg Byrne Charles Bediako statement
Alabama AD Greg Byrne released a statement on the Bediako situation on Jan. 23 through X, formerly known as Twitter, expressing concern about the overall state of college athletics but asserting Alabama is working within the framework of the rules.
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In his statement, Byrne wrote:
While Coach Oats provided his perspective earlier today on Charles Bediako and the process of him becoming eligible to compete for the Crimson Tide, I wanted to follow up with some additional thoughts. I think it's safe to say the majority of us have concerns about the state of college athletics and are all for uniformity versus inconsistencies.
There are many programs across the country with former G League and EuroLeague players on their rosters who have been deemed eligible. At the end of the day, these are men with professional basketball experience that are now playing in college. The distinctions between those cases and Charles' situation are without real differences. A professional contract should be a professional contract. Why should a student-athlete who earned millions competing professionally overseas be eligible to return to college, while someone earning $50,000 annually in the NBA G League is not? Similarly, an athlete who leaves high school for professional basketball returning to college later is okay, while a student who entered the draft during college, perhaps based on incomplete or poor advice, may be barred. These distinctions are impossible to explain, undermine confidence in the system and do not meaningfully advance the educational mission of college athletics.
That said, we must remain competitive and act in the best interest of our teams. As Coach Oats stated, Charles is still within his five-year window, is 23 years old and started classes again this semester to work towards degree completion. He's also not taking away any opportunities from a high school prospect or anyone else with there being a vacant roster spot.
If this particular case can help shape the future of the sport, and better regulation of college athletics as a whole, we welcome that.
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:
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2023-24 (Austin): 5.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 0.5 blocks in 14.6 minutes per game
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2024-25 (Grand Rapids): 9.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 24.5 minutes per game
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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, 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.
Here's a year-by-year breakdown of Bediako's stats at Alabama:
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2021-2022:6.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 0.7 assists per game while shooting 69.2% from the field
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2022-2023:6.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 0.6 assists per game while shooting 65.9% from the field
How old is Charles Bediako?
Born on March 10, 2002, Bediako is 23 years old.
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Charles Bediako draft
Bediako entered the 2023 NBA Draft following his sophomore season at Alabama, but went undrafted. He instead signed a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs and joined their G League affiliate in Austin, Texas.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Charles Bediako, ex-G League player, set to play for Alabama today
