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Ex-Lakers rookie returns to college after absurd NCAA eligibility loophole
Former Lakers summer-league player Robbie Avila has been cleared to return to college basketball for a fifth season with Saint Louis. A court order affecting a wider group of athletes made his return possible, and he is expected to face Missouri on Friday.
Avila, nicknamed “Cream Abdul-Jabbar” for his glasses, graduated from Saint Louis earlier this year. A Colorado federal judge issued a class-wide preliminary injunction requiring the NCAA to deem eligible high school Class of 2022 athletes who had exhausted their eligibility in the spring. After the Lakers waived Avila before the regular season, returning to Saint Louis was his route back to college; he averaged 12.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists last season.
In short
- Robbie Avila can play a fifth college season at Saint Louis.
- A court injunction covers athletes from the 2022 high school class.
- He averaged 12.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists last season.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The court order can be defended as protecting athletes from losing eligibility under NCAA rules that treated their class differently, and applying relief across the affected group promotes consistency. Avila’s return also gives him a chance to continue his education and play after his professional opportunity ended, while allowing the courts to address a disputed eligibility policy.
The case against
A broad injunction may grant an extra season to athletes who had already used the eligibility available to them, disrupting the rules on which colleges and players planned. The NCAA and its members can argue that eligibility limits support fair competition and predictable rosters, and that changing them through litigation risks unequal treatment of athletes outside the class.