The announcement that Labaron Philon would be returning to Tuscaloosa for a second season startled Alabama basketball fans.
Hours after Tahaad Pettiford announced he would play his sophomore season at Auburn, UA’s NIL collective Yea Alabama announced that the Mobile native had taken his name off the list to return to college, adding to the crazy day for what X users refer to as “IBOB Twitter” with just 28 minutes left before the 2025 NBA Draft withdrawal deadline. Philon told reporters on May 14 that the “door was closed” on a comeback to UA, precisely one month after he announced his intention to enter the draft.
People who watch Crimson Tide hoops had come to terms with Philon’s one-and-done status. He would never again lift a trophy for a historic national title or play on the court at Coleman Coliseum. That’s fiction as of late Wednesday night.
