A Louisiana court granted former St. John's star RJ Luis Jr. an injunction on Wednesday, making him temporarily eligible to play for the LSU basketball team. The injunction prevents the Southeastern Conference (SEC) from penalizing LSU for having Luis on its roster.
A preliminary injunction hearing is scheduled for November 13, at which time representatives from LSU and the SEC will be present. Until then, Luis is permitted to practice and compete in games for the LSU program, coached by Will Wade.
Luis's legal team, led by attorney Tony Clayton, secured the injunction, which will allow him to participate in at least three of LSU's upcoming games. These include the season opener against LSU New Orleans on November 3, a November 6 game against Texas Southern, and a November 9 matchup with Louisiana Tech.
Luis, who was named Big East Player of the Year in 2025, opted to enter the NBA draft after leading St. John's to a conference regular-season and tournament championship. He went undrafted and subsequently signed deals with the Utah Jazz and later the Boston Celtics.
His commitment to LSU followed recruitment by Coach Wade. However, the NCAA initially resisted his return to college eligibility, citing his decision to turn professional and failure to withdraw from the NBA draft according to NCAA protocols. The SEC has rules that prohibit teams from adding players with significant professional experience. In September, these rules were updated to grant the conference commissioner authority to impose penalties such as suspending coaches, fining schools, and restricting voting privileges.
Clayton and co-counsel Elliot Abrams filed a petition asking the judge to prevent the SEC and its commissioner, Greg Sankey, from penalizing LSU if Luis was added to the roster. Clayton stated that the lawsuit was amended to include the SEC, Sankey, and the LSU Board of Supervisors to remove any potential barriers to Luis playing for the Tigers. Clayton has been critical of Sankey's actions and threats toward LSU.
In the 2024-25 season, Luis averaged 18.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game during his final season at St. John's.