Lakers rookie Robbie Avila considering college return after NCAA rule

LeBron James might not be the only recognizable Los Angeles Laker who’s leaving the team this offseason.

Robbie Avila—whom the Lakers signed to an Exhibit 10 contract after he went undrafted in June—is, “waiting to see what his options are” after being granted a fifth year of NCAA eligibility, according to an X post from basketball insider Adam Zagoria.

This is the byproduct of a U.S. District Court judge in Colorado named Charlotte Sweeney granting a class-wide preliminary injunction that makes the NCAA declare eligible all high school class of 2022 athletes who ran out of eligibility this spring, which was announced on Friday.

Avila, who graduated from Saint Louis earlier this year, now has a decision to make about whether he wants to remain with the Lakers or return to college.

Avila became a college basketball fan favorite because of his unique, eccentric look, which has inspired countless hilarious nicknames, including “Cream Abdul-Jabbar” because of the glasses he wears on the court.

The six-foot-10, 240-pound center played limited minutes for the Lakers during NBA Summer League, and didn’t make much of an impact. He averaged 12.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game with the Billikens during his senior season, which was enough to earn him A-10 Player of the Year honors.

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It will be fascinating to see what decision Avila makes. The fact that he barely played during Summer League might be enough to convince him to take his talents back to college.

While Avila might not have made much of an impact on the Lakers’ roster this upcoming season, fans would be losing some entertainment value if he goes back to college, if only because they can’t use his nicknames any longer.