Well, RJ Luis won't be returning to college to play for LSU after all, according to a report from Matt Norlander of CBS Sports.

Luis was not ruled ineligible legally, but he would have been in violation of an SEC rule that bars players from coming back to college after signing professional contracts. LSU has decided to give up the fight to get him on the roster.

And why should you care about this? Well, because Luis had a little stint in the Boston Celtics organization.

Luis, a 6-foot-7 forward from Miami, Fla. spent three years in college. A member of the high school graduating class of 2022, Luis played his first year at Massachusetts and then two years at St. John's. For his career, he averaged 14.1 ppg, but he averaged 18.2 at St. John's in his junior year under Rick Pitino. He was a major part of St. John's resurgence under the former Celtics head coach.

He did not play with current Celtics forward Dillon Mitchell, who the Celtics took in the second round this year out of St. John's.

Luis was named the Big East East Player of the Year in 2024-25, but went undrafted in the 2025 draft.

Luis signed with the Utah Jazz last summer and then was dealt to Boston before being waived in October of 2025. He then signed on with the Maine Red Claws, the G-League affiliate of the Celtics. He signed an Exhibit 10 contract in this case, which is important to note because that's the professional contract that the SEC is referring to.

He did not play any games in Maine. He did play in the Celtics preseason. He scored six total points.

The NCAA has ruled that student-athletes now get five years to play five seasons of their sport. However, student-athletes who graduated high school in 2022 and college in 2026 only played four seasons in four years. All across the country, players who fit that mold are trying to get a fifth year of eligibility like those younger than them.

In Luis's case, he played three seasons in three years, and then left school. In his mind, that fourth year was a year off and he should be able to come back and play his fourth season in five years like other players from the Class of 2026 are.

But that pro contract is a sticking point that the SEC won't budge on.

Another year of development, another shot at the NBA Draft, and more NIL money? You name the reason and it probably applies.