Potential top overall NBA Draft pick James Wiseman has dropped his fight against the NCAA, meaning the Memphis star will be sitting out games for at least the near future.
Wiseman was recently ruled ineligible by the NCAA because Tigers coach Penny Hardaway has a history with him and helped finance his family’s move to Memphis from Nashville in 2018. The NCAA ruled that this was against rules because they viewed Hardaway, a previous Memphis donor, as a booster for the program, meaning Wiseman received an improper benefit. A court then granted a temporary restraining order against the NCAA’s decision, so Memphis decided to play Wiseman anyway.
On Thursday, Wiseman announced that he has dropped his lawsuit and Memphis said he will sit out for now.
Lawyers for potential No. 1 pick James Wiseman have issued the following statement on withdrawing lawsuit against the NCAA and Memphis. pic.twitter.com/y7m6qjojyN
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 14, 2019
It could be that the lawsuit only made the issue more complicated and would have potentially resulted in more sanctions against Wiseman and/or Memphis, especially if the Tigers kept playing him while he was ruled ineligible.
Wiseman is one of the best players in the country and could be a No. 1 overall pick, so it is in the interest of both Memphis and the NCAA to have him on the court. This could be a step toward resolving the situation.
