Lawyers for RJ Luis Jr. ask judge to block SEC from intervening to keep him off LSU’s roster

Lawyers representing RJ Luis Jr. have petitioned a Louisiana judge to prevent the Southeastern Conference from penalizing LSU if the player is added to the Tigers' roster. Luis, who was under contract with two NBA teams in 2025 but never played a game, is challenging his ineligibility to compete. The SEC has accused LSU of defying professionalism rules by attempting to add Luis.

Despite a preliminary injunction against the NCAA and SEC, preventing LSU from adding Luis, the conference maintains a strict rule against rostering players with significant professional experience. LSU chose not to add Luis in September, following a similar case in which two players who had NBA stints before returning to college were not added.

The SEC threatened to penalize LSU, but LSU ultimately avoided the sanctions. The attorneys representing Luis, Elliot Abrams and Tony Clayton, have also filed a separate petition in state court, urging the judge to block LSU from following SEC directives that would keep Luis off the team. The NBA player, a 2025 Big East Player of the Year with St. John's, had three seasons with two teams before declaring for the 2025 NBA draft but was never drafted.