BATON ROUGE — LSU forward Saliou Niang has been ruled eligible to play for LSU during this men's basketball season, reports say. 

Niang, a Senegalese-Italian player, was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 58th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, but played for the Italian team Lega Basket Serie A. 

He also played for the Italian national team during the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 tournament. 

Niang is the latest LSU player who has been ruled eligible to play, which has been a primary focus of coach Will Wade's return to the Tigers. 

LSU forward Saliou Niang has been ruled eligible to play for Will Wade and the Tigers this season, source confirms to @On3.

— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) October 20, 2026