RJ Luis Jr. could be heading back to college basketball after spending time under contract with two NBA teams.
According to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports, a Louisiana judge granted Luis a preliminary injunction on Monday, paving the way for the former St. John's standout to play for LSU during the 2026-27 season.
East Baton Rouge Parish District Court judge Ronald R. Johnson issued the ruling after a five-hour hearing, allowing Luis to begin practicing with LSU and potentially compete for the Tigers while his dispute with the NCAA continues.
The NCAA could still seek a stay or pursue other legal options.
The case is unusual because Luis left college for the NBA in 2025, signed professional contracts and then attempted to regain NCAA eligibility without ever appearing in an NBA regular-season game.
Luis went undrafted before joining Jazz, Celtics
Luis entered the 2025 NBA Draft following a breakout junior season at St. John's but was not selected.
The Utah Jazz signed the 6-foot-7 wing to a two-way contract in July 2025. He did not participate in Summer League because of injury and was then traded to the Boston Celtics in August as part of the deal that sent Georges Niang to Utah.
Luis remained on a two-way contract in Boston and appeared in three preseason games, scoring six points in seven total minutes.
However, he never made his NBA regular-season debut and also did not appear in a G League game before Boston waived him on Oct. 15, 2025.
That distinction became central to his attempt to return to college basketball.
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Former Big East Player of the Year
Before pursuing the NBA, Luis had established himself as one of the best players in college basketball.
He began his college career at UMass in 2022-23, averaging 11.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists as a freshman before transferring to St. John's.
After averaging 10.9 points and 4.6 rebounds during his first season with the Red Storm, Luis broke out in 2024-25.
He averaged 18.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 steals across 35 games while shooting 43.9% from the field and 33.6% from three-point range.
Luis was named Big East Player of the Year and Big East Tournament MVP while helping St. John's win its first outright conference regular-season title in 40 years and its first conference tournament championship in 25 years. He also earned second-team AP All-American recognition.
Across three previous college seasons, Luis averaged 14.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 steals in 85 games.
SEC opposed Luis' return
Luis committed to LSU in May, but NCAA eligibility rules created an obstacle because he had already signed professional contracts.
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey publicly opposed allowing former professional players to return to college competition, arguing before the hearing that doing so could create competitive-equity concerns for athletes who remained within the college system.
The SEC reiterated its opposition after Monday's ruling, arguing that college athletics should remain for college athletes and that players who sign professional contracts and compete professionally should not subsequently return to NCAA competition.
Luis' case is somewhat different because, despite signing NBA contracts, he never appeared in an NBA regular-season or G League game. His only appearances after leaving St. John's came during NBA preseason action with Boston.