Months after R.J. Luis announced plans to come back to college basketball and play at LSU, he finally received the court decision he wanted in order to solidify his return.
Luis was granted a temporary injunction by a Louisiana judge on Monday evening, clearing a pathway for the ex-Red Storm standout to compete in the 2026-27 season despite having signed multiple NBA contracts.
The former consensus All-American went undrafted in the 2025 NBA draft and signed a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz, then
was traded to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Georges Niang and two second-round picks last August. Luis appeared in three preseason games with the Celtics before he was waived by the team and inked an Exhibit-10 deal to play for their G-League affiliate, the Maine Celtics, but he missed all of last season with an injury.
According to ESPN, Luis’s attorneys argued at the hearing that he had not competed in an NBA or G-League regular season game and that he had far less professional experience than other college players who signed from leagues abroad, while the NCAA’s representation countered that Luis chose to leave college for the NBA, unlike other international signings.
Days before Luis’s hearing, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey wrote to a Louisiana courthouse arguing that athletes like the ex-St. John’s standout who have signed professional contracts should not be allowed to compete in college sports.
“These rules are grounded in the principle that athletics are an integral part of the academic experience,” Sankey wrote. “The rules align the time permitted for college athletics with the pursuit of an undergraduate education and further the important purpose of preserving opportunities for future student-athletes to participate in college sports.”
Beginning his college basketball career at UMass as a three-star high school recruit in the class of 2022, Luis made an immediate impact with the Minutemen, averaging 11.5 points and 4.6 rebounds and earning a spot on the Atlantic-10 All-Freshman team.
The Miami native then transferred to St. John’s ahead of Rick Pitino’s first season in charge, but struggled to find consistency and playing time while dealing with nagging shin splints, posting 10.9 points and 4.6 rebounds in only 23 games.
Better health begot a breakout junior season for Luis, who won the 2025 Big East Player of the Year award among a case full of accolades, set new career-highs with 18.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game, and led the Red Storm to their first outright regular season conference title in 40 years and their first Big East tournament crown since 2000.
Luis had the choice to enter the transfer portal and choose from multiple seven-figure offers from other programs to return to college basketball after his junior year, but ultimately declared for the NBA draft. Now he’s changed course more than one year removed from this decision, and he is sure to receive a major payday to play for first-year head coach Will Wade’s Tigers.
