Former Grand Rapids Gold Star Makes Controversial Return To College Sports

For most of college basketball as we know it, the status quo has been you commit to a team, play there your four years, graduate, and either try your luck at the NFL draft or go on with your life. Sometimes, standout players would declare for the draft early, forfeiting their remaining eligibility to go pro. Once you make that choice, your college days are over.

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However, in the new age of the NIL and transfer portal, the waters of college sports have become incredibly murky as money and contracts have completely shaken up the status quo. We're in the wild west of basketball, and it reached a new level with the announcement that a former Grand Rapids Gold star will return from the pro-level to play basketball at Alabama University. 

Who Is Charles Bediako?

Charles Bediako is a 7-foot center from Brampton, Ontario, who was recruited to the Alabama Crimson Tide, playing the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons before declaring for the 2023 NBA draft at the end of his sophomore season.

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He went undrafted but signed a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs (this detail is important for later). This allowed him to play with both the NBA team and its G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs. However, he never played a game for the San Antonio Spurs and was traded to the Grand Rapids Gold in 2024.

He was a starter on the Gold in the 2024-2025 season, playing 34 games and averaging 25 minutes a game and 10 points a game. He was later traded to the Motor City Cruise, where he made 5 appearances and 1 start so far this season, as recently as last week.

However, it looks like his time with the Cruise is coming to an abrupt end after news broke that Alabama was attempting to bring Bediako back, a move that has stunned the college basketball world.

Why Is This Controverisal?

After a player declares for the draft, they cannot come back. Earlier this season, however, the NCAA opened Pandora's Box by granting eligibility to a former NBA draft pick, James Nnaji, drawing widespread backlash.

In response, the NCAA released a statement saying that any player who has had an NBA contract is not eligible to return to the NCAA, including two-way contracts.

This lasted less than a month before the same situation occurred again, with Bediako suing the NCAA for denying his request to return. A judge granted him a temporary restraining order, giving him 10 days' eligibility, which he will use to play on Saturday vs. Tennessee.

His return to college has sparked widespread contempt, with Michigan State's Tom Izzo vocally expressing his disdain for the situation. For now, the former Gold star is allowed to suit up, and a case hearing could forever alter college basketball as we know it.