Former St. John’s star RJ Luis, the 2025 Big East Player of the Year, has committed to LSU, sources told ESPN, although a long eligibility fight likely remains.

After a terrific 2024-25 campaign for the Red Storm, Luis entered the transfer portal and entered the NBA draft. He remained in the draft past the withdrawal deadline before going undrafted. Luis then signed a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz before being traded to the Boston Celtics in early August in exchange for Georges Niang and two future second-round picks.

He was waived by the Celtics before signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the Maine Celtics, Boston’s G League affiliate. The Maine Celtics then waived Luis, who was injured, before he played a game.

The NCAA has previously ruled that players who sign NBA contracts are ineligible, with the organization recently prevailing in the eligibility saga of former Alabama center Charles Bediako.

Bediako played for the Crimson Tide for two seasons in 2022 and 2023 before declaring for the 2023 NBA draft. He went undrafted but signed a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs and played for three different G League teams. In January, however, Bediako sued the NCAA to gain immediate reinstatement after he was ruled ineligible. He was granted a temporary restraining order that allowed him to play five games last season for Alabama before a judge denied his motion for a preliminary injunction, ending his college career for a second time.

“Common sense won a round today,” NCAA president Charlie Baker said at the time. “The court saw this for what it is: an attempt by professionals to pivot back to college and crowd out the next generation of students. College sports are for students, not for people who already walked away to go pro and now want to hit the ‘undo’ button at the expense of a teenager’s dream. While we’re glad the court upheld the rules our members actually want, one win doesn’t fix the national mess of state laws. It’s time for Congress to stop watching from the sidelines and help us provide some actual stability.”

Baker and the NCAA have previously drawn a line in the sand regarding eligibility for players who signed NBA contracts.

“The NCAA has not and will not grant eligibility to any prospective or returning student-athletes who have signed an NBA contract [including a two-way contract],” Baker said in a statement back in December.

Luis will likely have to follow a similar path to Bediako in order to gain eligibility.

The 6-foot-7 small forward was one of the best players in the country two seasons ago, earning Big East Player of the Year and second-team All-American honors after averaging 18.2 points and 7.2 rebounds. He helped lead the Red Storm to the Big East regular-season and conference tournament titles, also earning Big East tournament MVP honors.

LSU and head coach Will Wade, who was rehired by the Tigers back in March after being fired in 2022, have leaned into the perceived uncertainty surrounding eligibility this spring, with Luis not the only potential addition with eligibility concerns. They’re also looking to add 25-year-old Israel native Yam Madar, who was selected by the Boston Celtics in the second round of the 2020 NBA draft and has been playing high-level international basketball since 2018.