LSU men’s basketball tests college eligibility limits by reportedly signing two with Celtics ties

The Celtics retain Madar’s draft rights, and a team source said Madar playing at LSU would give the franchise more opportunities to see him play in person. Israel’s Madar, 25, was the 47th pick by Boston in 2020, the same year he was named the Israeli Premier League’s player of the year. He played for the Celtics during summer league in 2021, but has not been brought over from Europe to be part of the team’s roster. Since being drafted he’s spent time playing in Serbia, Turkey, and Germany, before rejoining Hapoel Tel Aviv in 2024. Yam Madar, a Celtics draft pick, and RJ Luis Jr., who was briefly on the Celtics’ G League team, have committed to play basketball at LSU, according to multiple reports. Luis went undrafted in 2025 after winning Big East player of the year honors under Rick Pitino at St. John’s. His college career began at UMass, where he played in 2022 in Frank Martin’s first season as coach. Luis then transferred to St. John’s, where he led the Red Storm to their first Big East tournament title in 25 years and their first regular-season championship since 1992. Luis signed a two-way deal with the Utah Jazz in the summer of 2025, and was traded to Boston when the Celtics sent Georges Niang west in a salary dump. Luis, 23, opted to enter the 2025 draft despite having one more year of college eligibility. He did not appear in any G League games for the Maine Celtics, getting waived after signing an Exhibit 10 deal. Madar and Luis will likely face legal hurdles in choosing to play in college. Madar has reportedly been offered what amounts to a $5 million salary if he can gain eligibility, but his past experience in professional leagues in Europe will be an issue. He is averaging 11.1 points through 16 games in Israel this season. Luis will need to go to the courts to get clearance to play for LSU. The situation is similar to that of Charles Bediako, who went undrafted in 2023, appeared in the G League, then tried to return to play at Alabama last season. Courts in the state initially ruled in favor of Bediako retaining his college eligibility, but those decisions were overturned after he appeared in five games. The attempted additions of Madar and Luis to the LSU roster under Will Wade, a former Harvard men’s basketball assistant whose first tenure in Baton Rouge ended in recruiting violations, underscores the wild world of college athletics. The NCAA is looking to push forward on a rule change that would limit eligibility to five years beginning when an athlete graduates high school or turns 19. Discussions about the change are set to begin more formally this week. The hope for the NCAA is that regulating eligibility around age would help stem some of the many lawsuits the organization’s members have faced from former athletes looking to return to play in college. With the influx in name, image, and likeness money in recent years, some are hoping to capitalize on opportunities they may have missed to make money while playing college sports. Adam Himmelsbach of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Katie McInerney can be reached at katie.mcinerney@globe.com. Follow her on Instagram at @katiemac.sports.