Alabama Men’s Basketball Returns Key Freshman from last Season

The Crimson Tide men's basketball program got a late-night news update that will have Alabama fans ecstatic when they wake up on Thursday morning.

Get our free mobile app

Yea Alabama, Alabama's NIL collective, announced on Wednesday night that Labaron Philon will return to the Crimson Tide for the 2025-26 men's basketball season.

Philon's return answers a lot of questions that fans were posing about the Tide's guard room for the 2025-26 men's basketball season. Philon had until 11:59 ET on Wednesday, May 28, to withdraw from the NBA draft.

Philon was a star for the Crimson Tide as a freshman during the 2024-25 men's basketball season. As a true freshman, Philon started 37 games for Nate Oats' squad, serving as the primary ball handler and the Tide's point guard when healthy. The 6-foot-4, 177-pound freshman averaged 10.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists for Alabama last season. He shot 45.2 percent from the floor and 31.5 percent from three-point range as he helped lead Alabama to an Elite Eight appearance for the Tide's second-straight Elite Eight.

A native of Mobile, Alabama, Philon had previously discussed a potential return to Alabama, but had all but ruled out returning to the Tide early in the process, saying he was "100 percent" on the NBA draft.

A report earlier in May by ESPN's Jeff Borzello said Philon was not going to return to Alabama, saying "the door was closed on a return."

The door remained open, despite the report by Borzello, and Philon immediately returned as one of the top contributors for Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide's offensive machine.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.