Fans Blast NCAA After Former Boston Celtics Guard RJ Luis Jr Commits to LSU
RJ Luis Jr. became one of college basketball's breakout names under coach Rick Pitino at St. John's.
After transferring from UMass, the 6-foot-7 wing exploded into a star, winning 2025 Big East Player of the Year honors while averaging 18.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.4 steals.
He looked every bit like the next Pitino success story, helping push St. John's back into national relevance before declaring for the NBA Draft after the 2024-25 season.
Although he went undrafted, Luis quickly landed a two-way deal with the Utah Jazz, later getting traded to the Boston Celtics. He appeared in three preseason games with Boston before being waived ahead of the 2025-26 season.
Now, the story has taken another turn.
On Tuesday, reports surfaced that Luis has decided to return to college basketball, signing with Will Wade’s LSU Tigers.
The move immediately ignited debate across the sport, not because LSU landed a talented scorer, but because fans are asking a much more serious question: How is a former pro coming back to college hoops?
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Social media reactions came fast and furious.
"What are we doing in college basketball? This is absolutely ludicrous," wrote OutKick founder Clay Travis.
"He literally played in the NBA … What are we doing with college sports?" another user commented.
“Never thought I'd see the day where NBA logos would be on these,” another added.
“What even is college basketball right now,” wrote Matthew Geist, creator of “Six Rings of Steel.”
“What are we doing here? Someone please stop the insanity,” said FOX Sports’ Chris Fallica.
“The NCAA really has lost its grip on this lmao,” another fan replied.
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The outrage taps into a growing identity crisis around modern NCAA athletics.
NCAA eligibility rules have softened dramatically in the NIL and transfer era, but there is still supposed to be a bright line around professional participation.
Players can test NBA waters, hire certified agents under certain circumstances, and even return after the draft process if they preserve eligibility.
But signing an NBA contract, especially a two-way deal, has historically been a different category.
NCAA leadership has maintained that players who sign NBA agreements generally lose amateur status.
That's why Luis' case is drawing so much attention.
According to multiple reports, Luis is not currently eligible to play for LSU. His path back to the NCAA may require legal action, waiver arguments, or continued pressure tied to evolving eligibility models.
His camp's likely argument centers on the fact that he didn’t establish a lengthy NBA playing résumé and never logged any regular-season NBA games.
But fans upset about Luis possibly returning aren’t just angry about one player. They're reacting to the sense that college basketball's boundaries keep dissolving.
NIL money. Older rosters. Transfer free agency. International pros. Eligibility lawsuits. The sport increasingly resembles a hybrid marketplace where "college athlete" can mean wildly different things depending on legal interpretation.
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This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 11:45 AM.