Alabama Center Charles Bediako Getting Serious Attention in Pre-NBA Draft Process

Crimson Tide standout big man is getting a long look from numerous teams prior to the 2023 NBA Draft.

Christopher Walsh | May 10, 2023

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According to a report, Charles Bediako is turning heads in NBA circles as the league begins to close in the upcoming draft.

Per Matt Babcock, a former agent who currently serves as Draft Digest's Senior NBA Draft Analyst, the Alabama center has completed pre-draft workouts with the Memphis Grizzlies, Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs. He still has scheduled for workouts with the Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder this week.

The Charlotte Hornets, Boston Celtics, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, and Cleveland Cavaliers have also requested to bring in Bediako for a workout per his agent Daniel Green of Green Sports Management.

He's slated to participate in the NBA G League Elite Camp, along with Crimson Tide guard Mark Sears, Saturday and Sunday in Chicago. The top performers will land invitations to the NBA Draft Combine, which will be held next week in Chicago. On Tuesday, Crimson Tide freshmen Brandon Miller and Noah Clowney were among the 78 players invited to the combine. The draft is only two rounds, with 58 total selections this year due to two second-round picks that were forfeited.

Bediako is testing the draft process, and because Green is NCAA-certified the 7-footer can still opt to return to the Crimson Tide. He has until the end of the month to make a final decision. The draft is set for June 22 in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Bediako was a big part of Crimson Tide's success during the 2022-23 season, starting all 36 of Alabama's games and averaged 6.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest. He was also responsible for 23 assists, 22 steals and a team-leading 62 blocks.

Bediako's 1.8 blocks per game was enough to rank him third in the Southeastern Conference. He was named to the SEC's All-Defense Team and to the 2023 SEC All-Tournament team.

Published May 10, 2023

CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of BamaCentral, which first published in 2018. He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004, and is the author of 26 books including Decade of Dominance, 100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Nick Saban vs. College Football, and Bama Dynasty: The Crimson Tide's Road to College Football Immortality. He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.