RJ Luis has been granted a preliminary injunction in his lawsuit against the NCAA, clearing the former Big East Player of the Year to play for LSU and head coach Will Wade during the 2026-27 season. Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger had it first.
Judge Ronald Johnson ruled in Luis' favor Monday in East Baton Rouge Parish after the LSU wing challenged the NCAA's decision that prevented him from returning to college basketball despite signing a professional contract.
Luis committed to LSU on May 19 while pursuing another season of college eligibility. His situation, however, was different from many of the eligibility cases unfolding across college athletics because of his brief move into professional basketball.
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After earning Big East Player of the Year honors at St. John's during the 2024-25 season, Luis entered the 2025 NBA Draft. He went undrafted before signing a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz.
More on what LSU is getting in RJ Luis
The 6-foot-7 Luis established himself as one of the nation's top players during his final season at St. John's, averaging 18.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game while making 32 starts in 35 appearances.
His performance earned him Big East Player of the Year honors and consensus second-team All-America recognition. Luis was also named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2025 Big East Tournament after helping St. John's capture the conference tournament championship.
Luis finished his three-year college career at UMass and St. John's with averages of 14.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists over 85 games. He shot 43.9 percent from the field for his college career.
After the 2024-25 season, Luis entered the NBA Draft but went undrafted. He signed a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz and was later traded to the Boston Celtics before being waived. Luis did not appear in an NBA regular-season game.
His attempt to return to college basketball became one of the more closely watched eligibility cases in the country. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey filed an affidavit opposing the return of athletes who had signed professional contracts, arguing that allowing professional players to return to college would create competitive inequities.
Monday's ruling removes the immediate NCAA eligibility obstacle for Luis and gives LSU an accomplished, veteran wing who has already proven capable of producing at an All-America level in a major conference.
