It's officially official -- Memphis Tigers superstar James Wiseman will have to serve his full 12-game suspension after his appeal was rejected, the NCAA announced Wednesday.
Memphis and Wiseman had been fighting to allow the 18-year-old phenom to play for weeks ... but their attempts failed and the org. decided to uphold the ban.
"This morning, the NCAA's Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement upheld the conditions of reinstatement for men's basketball student-athlete James Wiseman, who will be eligible to return to competition Jan. 12," Memphis said in a statement.
"Although disappointing, we look forward to a promising season."
Wiseman -- the projected #1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft -- was declared ineligible after the NCAA found proof Tigers head coach Penny Hardaway gave his family $11,500 to cover moving expenses in 2017 (before he took the Memphis gig).
Wiseman addressed the news on Twitter ... saying, "Sometimes bad things happen to good people. God has never left me nor forsaken me throughout this process!
"God knows my destiny and I feel that even though hardships may be upon me! It too shall pass in the Grace of God. My journey isn’t finished, and this too shall pass."
The 7'1" center has been a monster on the court in the 3 games he was able to play in so far this season ... averaging 19.7 points and 10.7 rebounds.