RJ Luis Jr., the 2025 Big East Player of the Year who signed multiple NBA contracts last year but did not play in any professional games, is eligible to play and practice with LSU through a temporary injunction signed by a Louisiana judge Wednesday.
The injunction temporarily blocks the SEC from punishing the Tigers if Luis is added to their roster.
Luis' attorney, Tony Clayton Jr., told ESPN that if Will Wade refuses to play the star guard, he will bring the LSU coach to court and ask a judge to hold him in "constructive contempt." Per Louisiana statute, a person who violates an injunction or restraining order can be fined up to $1,000 and imprisoned for up to six months.
"I'm telling you we're going to use the long arm of the law to force Will Wade to play him because I'm not going to allow these folks to play musical chairs," said Clayton, who is also a district attorney in Louisiana. "We would bring in Coach Wade and move to hold him in constructive contempt. I would not advise anyone to be in contempt of court. This judge is real."
LSU did not immediately respond to ESPN's request for comment.
The order, which was issued by state district Judge Ronald R. Johnson in East Baton Rouge Parish, takes effect Tuesday, when LSU opens its season against LSU New Orleans. It will last until Nov. 13, when Johnson scheduled a hearing on the matter and ordered SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, as well as LSU officials, to appear.
In September, Sankey announced that the SEC had tweaked its rules about former professional athletes being banned from competing for teams in the conference, giving the commissioner the power to sanction schools, fine programs and suspend coaches in violation.
"Coach Wade is an honorable man, but he too has to answer to somebody, and I will be the first to tell him Sankey is not your god," Clayton told ESPN. "You have to follow rules. He's absolutely in my crosshairs. Will Wade is directly in the crosshairs. If he were to stand in the way, then let the chips fall where they may."
In August, Luis was granted a preliminary injunction to play another college season despite going to the NBA after his time at St. John's ended in 2025, when he was named an All-American as well as the Big East's best player.
After committing to LSU in May and receiving the injunction in August, he was expected to play a significant role in Wade's first season with the Tigers. But the SEC sued LSU in September, citing "ongoing defiance of the conference's professionalism rules" after football coach Lane Kiffin signed a pair of players, Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, who had been in NFL training camps over the summer (neither was ultimately added to LSU's roster).
Earlier this month, Wade announced that LSU would follow SEC guidelines and that as a result the Tigers had not "rostered" Luis.
Clayton also said he's preparing a lawsuit to seek "damages" for Wright and Harris against the SEC and Sankey, whom he accused of allowing his "feelings" to impact his decisions. Clayton said Luis' push to play is "no different" from the case made by Wright and Harris.
At SEC media day, Sankey would not disclose whether he had held any conversations with Wade about his roster, which features multiple fifth-year players and international prospects who needed legal and NCAA clearances to play. Despite the league's rules against pro athletes, however, Sankey has also said he will comply with court orders.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.