Myron Medcalf
Multiple Authors
Just weeks after a judge ended his second stint as a college basketball player, Charles Bediako is asking the Alabama Supreme Court to give him “interim injunctive relief” so he can play the rest of the season for the Crimson Tide.
Bediako’s attorneys made the request of the court on Monday while the center’s appeal of a circuit court judge’s denial for a preliminary injunction to continue playing moves forward.
Bediako, a standout at Alabama from 2021-2023, had signed multiple NBA contracts and was playing in the G League when a Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court judge granted him a temporary restraining order in January to play this season — a groundbreaking ruling in the sport.
He averaged 10 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in five games, with Alabama going 3-2 in those matchups.
“The request is to put an injunction in place while the Alabama Supreme Court considers the substance of our argument as to why we believe the Circuit Court’s order was incorrect,” David Holt, one of Bediako’s attorneys, told ESPN about their appeal under the Alabama Rules of Civil Procedure.
The motion for the appeal states Bediako has to play now because the season is almost over. Since a judge ruled against his request for a preliminary injunction, Bediako has been a regular student who is helping out the Crimson Tide as a member of the scout team, according to coach Nate Oats.
“Injunctive relief is warranted while Plaintiff’s appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court is pending,” the motion of his appeal states. It also says Bediako’s request “will become moot without interim relief” as the appeal “is unlikely to resolve before the season concludes.”
The regular season ends March 7, with the NCAA tournament wrapping up April 6.
After Bediako was granted the opportunity to resume his collegiate career three years after he’d helped Alabama become a top-three defense nationally, the most influential stakeholders in the game criticized the move.
“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 after the ruling allowing him to play.
Multiple G League players had been cleared to play prior to that ruling, and James Nnaji, who was the 31st pick in the 2023 NBA draft, was also granted eligibility by the NCAA. However, the difference between those players and Bediako is that they’d never signed NBA contracts and they’d never played college basketball.
Bediako signed a two-way deal with the San Antonio Spurs and multiple Exhibition 10 deals, along with his extensive time in the G League, after he left Alabama to enter the 2023 NBA draft.
His lawyers argued his professional experience was no different than the experiences of former European pros and Nnaji prior to those prospects gaining collegiate eligibility. They also said Bediako was missing out on NIL opportunities.
Another Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court judge ruled earlier this month that players can’t play in the NBA and come back to college.
“To obtain the benefits promised to him for participation in NCAA basketball, the Plaintiff must be eligible to participate in NCAA basketball,” the judge said in his denial of Bediako’s request for a preliminary injunction.
Holt said his team will soon file the full appeal that details their reasoning for asking a judge for another opportunity to play.
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