Charles Bediako has barely unpacked his bags, and he’s already making history again at Alabama. The 7-foot center, who spent the past three years in the NBA G League after leaving the Crimson Tide in 2023, returned to play under Nate Oats this week under circumstances that are not yet fully digested by the fans.

A temporary restraining order granted by the Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court has made him immediately eligible to practice and compete in college basketball. This news came in just a month after James Nnaji, another player who played in the professional league, was cleared to play at Baylor. However, even though coaches are opposing this, as per the latest updates, with less than 24 hours after being added back to the Crimson Tide roster, the SEC office has named Bediako as the Scholar-Athlete of the Week.

Back in 2023, Bediako left Alabama with two seasons of eligibility remaining when he declared for the NBA Draft. But after going undrafted, he spent the past three years on two-way contracts and with the Motor City Cruise. So, while under typical NCAA rules, professional experience would have made him ineligible to return to college basketball, his reinstatement via court order is highly unusual.

Furthermore, the temporary order not only allowed Charles Bediako to practice and compete, but it also barred the NCAA from imposing any sanctions on either him or Alabama for playing in today’s game against the Tennessee Volunteers, where he had already scored eight points and secured one rebound by the half-time.

While in the Nnaji case, the college sports governing body cleared the player to play, citing that even though he was drafted, he never really signed an NBA contract. In Bediako’s case, the NCAA denied the application to reinstate him, filed by the University of Alabama.

But as a response, Bediako sued them, saying he would face “irreparable harm” if barred from playing, including lost competitive, financial, and educational opportunities. So the court granted him immediate eligibility for 10 days ahead of a hearing on January 27.

However, even as much of the college basketball community questions the decision, Charles Bediako has the full backing of Alabama head coach Nate Oats.

Nate Oats defends Charles Bediako’s return

As soon as the news of Bediako’s return went viral, the National Association of Basketball Coaches wasted no time in addressing the ripple effects of such a decision. With cases like his and Nnaji’s now setting unusual precedents, the NABC convened an emergency meeting with NCAA officials to discuss how eligibility rules are applied and what it could mean for the future of college basketball.

They argued that allowing former professionals back into the college game could disrupt opportunities for high school recruits and change the landscape of NCAA basketball as we know it. But despite the controversy, coach Oats has defended his decision to let Bediako play for his team.

“The system’s clearly broken,” Oats said during a press conference on Friday. “I’m all for figuring out a way to fix it. But since the NCAA has already allowed professionals to play and virtually every team we’ve played this year or will play has a former professional player on the 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.”

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“Charles is still within his five-year window… He’s pursuing his degree here at Alabama. We’ve got a roster spot open, so this is not taking any opportunities away from a high school recruit or anybody else… For now, we’re going to continue to support Charles, our team, and we’re working closely with our administration and our compliance department on all of this,” he further added.

So the reality is Charles Bediako is back on the court with an SEC honor in hand, and Alabama is fully behind him. Whether his return will spark some broader changes in NCAA eligibility rules or not remains to be seen.