Read: https://t.co/C5kyg92zQV pic.twitter.com/t7zFYUyP0HSometimes, they’ll pay the athlete up front and take a percentage of future deals. Other times, players will get paid based on appearances, signings, and social media influence. No. 1 recruit AJ Dybantsa is expected to land an NIL package north of M and could get as high as M.“They’ve given Kevin Young […]
Read: https://t.co/C5kyg92zQV pic.twitter.com/t7zFYUyP0HSometimes, they’ll pay the athlete up front and take a percentage of future deals. Other times, players will get paid based on appearances, signings, and social media influence.
No. 1 recruit AJ Dybantsa is expected to land an NIL package north of M and could get as high as M.“They’ve given Kevin Young an open checkbook.”There are also group licensing deals, which allow a collective to sell the rights of multiple athletes from the same team, with the profits shared among them.It probably won’t surprise you to know that Duke’s freshman superstar, 18-year-old Cooper Flagg, is the top earner in NCAA basketball with an estimated NIL valuation of .8 million. — Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) October 24, 2024
NIL deals: what exactly are they?
In the overall list of top-earning college athletes, he’s second only to Texas quarterback Arch Manning (.5 million). Here’s where he stands in comparison to other NCAA basketball players, according to On3’s latest updates.Thanks to NIL deals, student athletes can now profit from their own brand, whether its through business ventures, partnerships, sponsorships, or endorsement deals. BYU is ready to offer .5M. Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith and executive Danny Ainge are all-in.But the NCAA changed its policies after a Super Court decision in 2021, and now, students are allowed to profit off their likeness, and it’s completely shifted the power dynamics. In 2022, high school players were allowed to sign NIL contracts too. Now, there are players demanding minimum NIL deals to their schools.
Top earning NCAA basketball players via NIL deals
Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all. Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.NIL deals come in various formats, but they rarely involve a company working directly with an athlete. Rather, the company will work with a collective which organizes NIL deals on behalf of the athlete.
While there are athletes of all types, from football to gymnastics, earning millions from NIL deals, in the spirit of March Madness, let’s take a look at the top-earning college basketball players by way of NIL.
| Player | School | Position | Estimated NIL Valuation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooper Flagg | Duke | Forward | $4.8 million |
| AJ Dybantsa | Utah Prep high school – committed to BYU | Forward | $3.8 million |
| Braden Smith | Purdue | Guard | $1.9 million |
| Maxime Raynaud | Stanford | Forward | $1.8 million |
| PJ Haggerty | Memphis | Guard | $1.7 million |
| Dylan Harper | Rutgers | Guard | $1.6 million |
| Ace Bailey | Rutgers | Guard/Forward | $1.6 million |
| Kam Jones | Marquette | Guard | $1.6 million |
| Cameron Boozer | Columbus high school – committed to Duke | Power Forward | $1.6 million |
Before 2021, college athletes were not allowed to earn money based on their name, image, and likeness (NIL). Until then, the university they attended would keep any cash made off their athletes instead.
