Last month, Charles Bediako returned to Alabama men’s basketball after spending most of the previous three seasons in the G League, a move that has become one of the most contentious and hotly debated subjects in the sport over the past two weeks.
In his first road game since rejoining the No. 23 Crimson Tide, the opposing fans offered constant reminders about his unusual situation.
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During Alabama’s 100-77 loss on Sunday, Feb. 1 at No. 21 Florida, Bediako was showered for much of the afternoon with chants of “G League Dropout” from the crowd at the O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida.
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The 7-foot center turned in his worst performance since returning to Alabama, where he previously played from 2021-23 before embarking on a professional career. After scoring 27 points in his first two games with the Crimson Tide, Bediako was held to six points against the Gators, though he also had a season-high seven rebounds and four blocks. He fouled out with 2:10 remaining and his team trailing by 20. As he walked to the bench, he was once against serenaded with the chant.
Bediako declared for the NBA draft after the 2022-23 season and, after going undrafted, played 82 games in the G League across three seasons, most recently with the Motor City Cruise.
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After playing for the Cruise as recently as Jan. 17, Bediako was granted a temporary restraining order against the NCAA by a Tuscaloosa County (Alabama) Circuit Court judge on Jan. 21, allowing him to suit up for the Crimson Tide the past three games.
His preliminary injunction hearing has been rescheduled for Feb. 6 and will be with a new judge after James Roberts Jr., who granted him the restraining order, has recused himself from the case after a motion from the NCAA. Roberts is an active “circle” donor to Crimson Tide Foundation, meaning he gives anywhere between $100,000 to $249,999 to the university.
Among those who had taken aim at Bediako’s return to college basketball was Florida head coach Todd Golden.
“They were able to finagle the situation where they got a judge in Alabama that is actually a donor at Alabama to write a temporary restraining order to allow this guy to play games at Alabama. I think there’s a lot of people that aren’t necessarily happy about it and don’t necessarily agree with it,” Golden said on the local ‘Gator Talk.‘ “But with all this intervention from judges, there’s only so much the league can do, there’s only so much other member schools in the league can do. We just need some people to stand up and start taking a stand.”
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The 23-point loss Sunday was Alabama’s most lopsided of the season. After an 11-3 start, the Crimson Tide are 3-4 in their past seven games.
Bediako and Alabama return to action on Feb. 4 with a game against Texas A&M. It’s the last game on the Crimson Tide’s schedule before Bediako’s hearing.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Charles Bediako faces ‘G League dropout’ taunts in Alabama loss at Florida
