{
  "id": 3169739,
  "title": "RJ Luis Jr. cleared by judge to play for LSU after spending time with 2 NBA teams",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/rj-luis-jr-cleared-by-judge-to-play-for-lsu-after-spending-time-with",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-25T02:24:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/rj-luis-jr-cleared-judge-022404640.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Baton Rouge, La. — A court has cleared RJ Luis Jr. to start practicing and potentially play for LSU this season, despite previously spending time with two NBA teams, the Utah Jazz and Boston Celtics. The five-hour hearing concluded with East Baton Rouge Parish District Court judge Ronald R. Johnson granting Luis a preliminary injunction against the NCAA. Luis' attorney, Tony Clayton, said the ruling is a precedent and monumental, allowing him to go practice and play. The NCAA had argued that Luis was unlikely to win reinstatement after leaving college to turn pro in 2025, but Luis' team argued that American players should be given the same opportunity as overseas players who have been granted exceptions. The NCAA maintains that Luis' situation differs because he chose to leave college for the NBA, and that the only player in a similar situation is Alabama's Charles Bediako, who was granted a temporary retraining order. LSU coach Will Wade hugged Luis after the ruling.",
  "summary": "RJ Luis Jr., a former St. John's standout who recently signed with LSU after spending time with two NBA clubs, was cleared by a court Monday evening to start practicing and potentially play for the Tigers this season. Luis, who briefly was under contract with the Utah Jazz and Boston Celtics but never played in an NBA game, hugged LSU coach Will Wade after the ruling by East Baton Rouge Parish…",
  "key_points": [
    "Judge Ronald R. Johnson clears RJ Luis Jr. to play for LSU.",
    "Luis previously played for NBA teams Utah Jazz and Boston Celtics.",
    "Ruling allows him to practice and potentially play for LSU this season."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The court ruling sets a precedent for American college players who left to play professionally and seek to return, giving them a potential pathway to rejoin their teams.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "RJ Luis Jr. cleared by judge to play for LSU after spending time with 2 NBA teams",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/rj-luis-jr-cleared-by-judge-to-play-for-lsu-after-spending-time-with-3170223",
        "published": "2026-08-25T02:25:23.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Former St. John’s star RJ Luis Jr. cleared to play for LSU after winning injunction",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/former-st-johns-star-rj-luis-jr-cleared-to-play-for-lsu-after-winning",
        "published": "2026-08-25T04:44:41.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}