What Nate Oats Thought of Florida's Crowd Chanting Against Charles Bediako

Gators fans were shouting "G League dropout" at the Crimson Tide center amid his eligibility lawsuit.

Feb 1, 2026; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide center Charles Bediako (14) dunks the ball over Florida Gators center Rueben Chinyelu (9) and Florida Gators forward Thomas Haugh (10) during the first half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

No. 23 Alabama men's basketball was outplayed throughout its 100-77 road loss to No. 19 Florida on Sunday afternoon. It was the fifth straight time that the Crimson Tide fell to the Gators.

This game had a ton of hype around it, and the main event was how the Gators would react to Crimson Tide center Charles Bediako. The former NBA G League player sued the NCAA on Jan. 20 with hopes of regaining collegiate eligibility and a Tuscaloosa judge granted him a temporary restraining order.

It's been the hottest topic in college basketball over the last two weeks and Florida head coach Todd Golden was not exactly on board with Bediako being able to face his team. Golden said, "We're going to beat 'em anyways," earlier in the week and he backed it up. He also had some help from the home crowd on Sunday, as Gators fans chanted "G League dropout" at Bediako numerous times throughout the game.

"Yeah," Alabama head coach Nate Oats said during the postgame press conference when asked if Florida's reception of Bediako was what he expected. I mean, you saw what [Baylor center James] Nnaji got on the road.

"But I think every team we play almost has a professional basketball player on their team, too. So, this one just got a little more media attention. So he's going to get that [reception from opposing crowds]."

Perhaps the crowd reached its loudest point when Bediako fouled out late in the second half. Florida big man Rueben Chinyelu raised his hands up to hype up the Gators crowd as Bediako was heading back to the bench. The Crimson Tide big man finished the game with six points, seven rebounds, including three offensive, and four blocks.

"That's what he's going to have to get," Oats said. "He's just going to have to deal with it. That's life. You've got very passionate fanbases in the SEC and the fans are gonna do what they do. So [Alabama] expected something like that."

Oats reiterated during the press conference that Bediako, who is from Ontario, Canada, was born in Chicago and is an American with dual citizenship. This was part of an argument he made on Jan. 23, which was the first time he spoke to the media since Bediako's return.

There have been a few cases of professional players going to college, including Baylor's recent acquisition of the aforementioned James Nnaji. The 21-year-old who previously played in Europe for four years was the No. 31 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, but never ended up playing in an NBA game (excluding the Summer League).

During Bediako's 70 games (67 starts from 2021-23) in Tuscaloosa, he averaged 6.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 19.3 minutes per game. He was a member of the All-SEC Freshman Team during his first year and the conference's All-Defensive Team during his second year.

After not being selected in the 2023 NBA Draft, he went to the NBA G League. Bediako is currently a member of the Motor City Cruise, but spent 2023-24 with the Austin Spurs and 2024-25 with the Grand Rapids Gold. He never played in an NBA game.

All information leading up to Bediako's rescheduled Feb. 6 injunction can be found here.

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