“Cream Abdul-Jabbar.” “College Jokic.” “Steph Blurry.” “Milk Chamberlain.” Few college basketball players have collected nicknames quite like those. Some came from his unusual look. Others came from the way he played. But together, they turned a 6-foot-10 big man into one of the most recognizable cult figures in college basketball.

Now, that same player is facing a career decision that could take him in two completely different directions. Robbie Avila, the former Saint Louis star who signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Los Angeles Lakers after going undrafted in June, is fighting for the chance to return to college basketball for one more season.

And the decision could come as soon as Thursday. Avila’s case against the NCAA is set to be heard in Cook County circuit court in Chicago at noon, with the former Billiken seeking an injunction that would allow him to play the 2026-27 season. As Stu Durando reported, Avila has already taken a step that suggests he is preparing for that possibility.

“Also in recent days, Avila’s name showed up as a registered student at SLU in the school for professional studies, a move likely made to assure he is registered should his case be successful.”

That one detail changes the picture.

This is no longer just a former college star testing the waters with an NBA team. Avila has put himself in position to return to Saint Louis if the court gives him the green light. The problem is that even a favorable ruling would not make his return simple.

The former Billiken is trying to reopen a door he already closed

Avila’s college career appeared to be over.

He spent his first two seasons at Indiana State, breaking out as a sophomore while helping the Sycamores reach the NIT Championship Game. He then followed head coach Josh Schertz to Saint Louis and became one of the Billikens’ most important players.

His final college season was arguably his most decorated.

Avila averaged 12.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game while shooting 41% from three-point range. He was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and helped Saint Louis finish 29-6 and reach the NCAA Tournament.

The Billikens eventually fell to Michigan in the second round, with Avila finishing that game with nine points, five assists and one rebound.

At the time, the NBA looked like the obvious next step.

Instead, Avila went undrafted.

The Lakers then gave him an Exhibit 10 contract, offering him a route into training camp and potentially the G League. It was an opportunity, but not a guaranteed NBA roster spot.

And his summer league experience did little to settle where he stood.

Avila appeared in only two games and played 16 total minutes. He logged 13.8 minutes against the San Antonio Spurs in the California Classic before seeing only 2.2 minutes against the Chicago Bulls in Las Vegas.

Suddenly, the choice looks very different.

One path is an uncertain professional opportunity. The other is a chance to return to a program where he was a star.

The court battle is bigger than Robbie Avila

Avila is not alone in trying to get another season.

His case is part of a much larger fight involving athletes who entered college in 2022-23. Hundreds of players have sought an additional year after arguing that they should receive the same benefit that earlier groups received during the COVID-era eligibility changes.

State courts have issued injunctions allowing some of those athletes to play, but the NCAA has fought back.

Durando reported that the NCAA said nearly 60 lawsuits had been filed by athletes, with 24 coming in the previous week alone. The NCAA has also challenged several of the rulings that granted additional eligibility.

The NCAA wrote that “some trial courts have continued to grant former student-athletes additional eligibility, often by entering orders on an expedited basis that were written by the plaintiffs’ attorneys and, in some instances, without a hearing or any meaningful opportunity for the NCAA to respond.”

That puts Avila’s Thursday hearing in the middle of a much larger legal battle.

His case was filed on Aug. 12, and the NCAA filed its opposition to his request for a temporary restraining order on Aug. 17.

The hearing will determine whether Avila can keep his college hopes alive while the larger eligibility fight continues.

Saint Louis has already made room for almost everyone — except him

There is another strange twist waiting at Saint Louis.

Even if Avila wins in court, the Billikens do not simply have an open spot waiting for him.

Durando reported that Saint Louis already has 15 scholarship players, meaning the roster is at the current cap. A return for Avila would therefore create another obstacle, with the roster limit potentially needing to be lifted to accommodate him.

So Avila could win the legal battle and still have to solve a basketball problem.

That makes his decision even more complicated.

He has already shown how much Saint Louis means to him. When Schertz left Indiana State for Saint Louis, Avila followed him. He became a centerpiece of Schertz’s program and helped take the Billikens to the NCAA Tournament.

There was also a telling moment before his final season.

With Saint Louis working within NIL budget limits, Schertz praised Avila for accepting his situation rather than trying to use his status as leverage.

“It wasn’t a ‘Well I need more,’ or ‘I need to get paid this’ or ‘I could go leverage this or hold you hostage.’ It just sets a great tone because really nobody else can complain when your best player is sacrificing minutes and shots.”

That says plenty about the relationship between the two.

And it helps explain why a return to Saint Louis is more than simply another college season.

The Lakers opportunity is real, but so is the uncertainty

The Lakers gave Avila a professional opening immediately after the draft.

But an Exhibit 10 deal is not the same thing as a guaranteed NBA contract.

For an undrafted player, the usual path can mean fighting through training camp, earning a G League opportunity and trying to turn limited chances into a longer professional career.

Avila’s limited summer league run did not give him much of a platform to make that case.

That does not mean the Lakers have given up on him. It simply means his NBA path is still uncertain.

And that uncertainty is important when considering why a player would take the unusual step of trying to return to college after signing with an NBA organization.

At Saint Louis, Avila knows the system. He knows Schertz. He knows what his role can be. He has already been an All-Conference-level player and the face of a team that reached March Madness.

In the Lakers system, he would be starting over.

That is the career crossroads sitting behind Thursday’s hearing.

He has already prepared for the possibility

Avila’s registration at Saint Louis may be the clearest sign of how seriously he is taking the possibility.

“Also in recent days, Avila’s name showed up as a registered student at SLU in the school for professional studies, a move likely made to assure he is registered should his case be successful.”

There is still no guarantee that he will return.

The court has not ruled on his specific petition, and the NCAA is actively fighting the broader wave of fifth-year cases. Even if Avila gets the relief he wants, Saint Louis would still have to deal with its roster situation.

But the fact that Avila has registered tells us something important: he is preparing for both futures.

For a player who spent the last few years becoming “College Jokic” and “Cream Abdul-Jabbar,” the next chapter may not be in the NBA after all.

It could begin with a courtroom in Chicago.

And by Thursday afternoon, Robbie Avila could know whether his college career really is over.