Alabama Basketball Competing in Third Players Era Event with New Expansion

Alabama basketball will compete in the third annual Players Era Championships in Las Vegas in November, per ESPN's Jeff Borzello.

The Crimson Tide participated in the first two Players Era Festivals and each of them had different formats. This year's event also has alterations as it is expanding to 24 teams, which will be split into two separate bracket-play tournaments over the course of two weeks.

Alabama is part of the second session, which will be held on Thanksgiving Week and will be known as The Players Era Sixteen. The following teams will join the Crimson Tide: reigning national champion Michigan, Gonzaga, St. John's, Louisville, Tennessee, Iowa State, Miami, Texas Tech, Baylor, Maryland, TCU, Oregon, Creighton, San Diego State and Kansas State.

The week of November 16 will feature The Players Era Eight: Florida, Houston, Kansas, Auburn, West Virginia, Notre Dame, Rutgers and UNLV.

Schedules and venues will be announced later this offseason. ESPN networks will be broadcasting every game.

Alabama fell to Oregon in the inaugural Players Era Festival Championship in 2024 via an 8-team tournament format. In 2025, the event expanded to 18 teams, but the title game was determined by point differential from two play-in games. The Crimson Tide fell to Gonzaga in its first matchup, which essentially took head coach Nate Oats and company out of the race. But UA proceeded to obliterate UNLV before taking down Maryland in a third contest.

After reaching the Sweet 16 for the fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament, Alabama lost four players to the transfer portal: forwards Taylor Bol Bowen and Aiden Sherrell, plus guards Jalil Bethea and Davion Hannah. Additionally, guard Labaron Philon Jr. and forward Amari Allen each declared for the 2026 NBA Draft, while Latrell Wrightsell Jr., Houston Mallette and Noah Williamson exhausted their collegiate eligibility.

That said, the Crimson Tide gained four players from the transfer portal, and now that the deadline to enter it has passed, Alabama could have five returners from this past season. This is on top of the three freshmen coming to Tuscaloosa this summer.

Alabama now has 12 scholarship players for the 2026-27 season, meaning it can still add three more. Players can still transfer in, withdraw from the NBA Draft (deadline is June 13) and high school prospects are still able to commit to programs. But if the 2026-27 season starts today, here's what Oats' roster would look like:

• G Aden Holloway (legal matter pending)
• G Preston Murphy Jr. (officially returning)
• W Jaxon Richardson (freshman commit)
• W Qayden Samuels (freshman signed)
• W Tarris Bouie (freshman signed)
• F London Jemison (officially returning)
• F Keitenn Bristow (officially returning)
• F Cole Cloer (NC State transfer)
• F Jamarion Davis-Fleming (Mississippi State transfer)
• C/F Brandon Garrison (Kentucky transfer)
• C/F Drew Fielder (Boise State transfer)
• C Collins Onyejiaka (officially returning)

BamaCentral is keeping track of the Crimson Tide’s outgoing and incoming players and coaches right here ahead of next season.