Will Wade is pushing college basketball into dangerous territory

In the latest of what’s becoming a trend, Will Wade and the LSU Tigers have secured another commitment from a former NBA player. According to multiple reports, NBA G-League guard and 2024-25 Big East Player of the Year RJ Luis has agreed to join LSU.

After a strong 2024-25 collegiate season with St. John’s, Luis went undrafted before signing a two-way deal with the Utah Jazz. They then traded him to the Boston Celtics, who waived him almost immediately.

He went on to sign a deal with the Maine Celtics, Boston’s G League team, but was waived before playing a single game. While the 23-year-old is currently ineligible to return to college basketball, it appears this could become a court battle against the NCAA.

The news comes just a day after the Tigers secured a commitment from 25-year-old EuroLeague guard Yam Madar, who was drafted by the Boston Celtics in 2020. He is also ineligible, but is expected to apply for an exception after the Tigers reportedly offered him a $5 million deal.

Just a few weeks ago, LSU had zero players on the roster. Now, Wade seems dead set on filling out his team with players that aren’t just older, but have professional experience.

The NCAA rules prohibit the previous sentence from being possible, but the Tigers don’t appear to have any reservations about that fact.

Throughout history, when players have remained in the draft past the deadline, they have been ruled in eligible to return to college basketball. That’s the rule that has kept college basketball dominated primarily by college-aged players, giving high school stars and young prospects the opportunity to compete at the NCAA level.

The age of NIL is quickly testing the limits of these rules, enticing professional players to return with larger paychecks than they’re receiving at the pro level. This would provide an obvious advantage to teams that have the NIL funds to bring in these players, while also taking away opportunities from the high school prospects that deserve them.

It’s currently unclear how exactly all of this will play out and whether or not these players can somehow obtain further NCAA eligibility.

But it shouldn’t be hard to conclude that a player drafted in the same class as Anthony Edwards belongs nowhere near college basketball.

James Parker is a sports writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker

About the Author Published May 19, 2026

JAMES PARKER

James Parker is a sports reporter and writer for Ball Exclusives. With a bachelor's degree earned at the age of 19, he’s spent years working as a sports journalist, including an award-winning stint at The Appalachian. He has never used AI for his work in any way, shape or form.