Rumors

But when Flagg came up as the poster child for the NIL era in an interview between sports reporters Howard Bryant and Bob Costas this week at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, Bryant blew that number out of the water. Bryant asked Costas whether he knew how much Flagg earned, then teased that he had the answer. “He had a $13 million deal with New Balance and then $15 million with Fanatics,” Bryant said.

Awful Announcing

Jonathan Wasserman: 106 players on the early entry list released today. Last year it was 195. NIL has made college far more appealing than the idea that you can potentially be a 1st-round pick, or that it's worth starting pro journey early through G League.

Twitter

Let’s start with the financials. It’s now rumored—quite credibly—that some high-level college players are set to make between $2–3 million per year through NIL deals. And that doesn’t even include BYU’s incoming star freshman, AJ Dybantsa, who’s rumored to earn more than double that next season. But this isn’t just about surefire lottery picks or elite NBA prospects. We're also talking about really good college players with uncertain NBA futures—guys who may not be guaranteed to be first-round selections or even drafted at all, for that matter. And for that group, NIL changes everything. Why? Because the risks and financial downside of leaving school too early are greater than ever.

babcockhoops.com

The school saw an opportunity to make Dybantsa its cornerstone, but it would not be cheap. Ace declines to reveal specifics of the NIL deal that reportedly also includes partial ownership in the school, but he acknowledged that several high schools were prepared to pay AJ millions of dollars this year. “And Utah Prep offered us a nice package, put it that way,” Ace says. “America, it’s the land of opportunity.” The agreement also included free rent at a three-story apartment complex near campus, where AJ and Ace now live together.

Boston Globe

Nick DePaula: Bronny James wore the “EYBL Fam Reunion” Nike GT Cut 3s at the NBA Draft Combine. James was among inaugural class of 5 basketball players to sign NIL deals with Nike during the fall of 2022. pic.twitter.com/HI9w1uexsV

Twitter

The NIL era is barely beginning. Schools are strategizing enormous war chests, designed specifically to keep the best players around longer. I was told a story this week by an agent representing a college player I’m helping: My player’s college coach was meeting with a billionaire about those exact strategies.

TrueHoop

Kit Guinhawa: LeBron James has a message for college coaches complaining about player loyalty in the NIL era: "Facts!!!!!! Say it louder for the ones in the back who act like they couldn't [hear you]" 👀

Twitter

Shaunie O'Neal wants her hoops star daughter, Me'Arah, to stay in school as looooong as possible ... telling TMZ Sports the NIL cash is way better than a WNBA salary! Depending on the athlete, there's a ton of money to be made at the collegiate level thanks to the "Name, Image and Likeness" rules ... with a reported $917 million in deals being made in the first year alone. With Shaq and Shaunie's 17-year-old daughter, one of the best high school players in the country, heading to the University of Florida next year, her mom tells us the money's SO good she (and other young women) should wait as long as possible before going pro. "For the women, for sure, hold on to your college career and NIL money," O'Neal told us at LAX.

TMZ.com

Division I schools can expect to receive further NCAA rules guidance related to name, image and likeness activity as soon as next week, two sources on the subcommittee overseeing the process told The Athletic. The NIL subcommittee that issued updated guidance regarding the role of boosters and collectives in May is set to endorse its latest set of recommendations next week at a meeting of the D-I Board of Directors. The two sources, who agreed to discuss the group’s messaging before it was made public in exchange for anonymity, said that the board will meet both Tuesday and Wednesday and is expected to adopt guidance addressing which activities are permissible and impermissible when it comes to institutional involvement in NIL activity. The subcommittee’s work is just one of the topics expected to be on the agenda for the board.

The Athletic

Nick DePaula: OFFICIAL: Top-ranked UCLA commit Jada Williams (@mrsmac0606) is the 1st NIL deal signing for @MoveInsoles. The upstart performance insoles company is co-founded by @Damian Lillard and backed by a group of athlete investors including @Chris Paul, @Jamal Crawford & more.

Twitter