The name, image and likeness (NIL) rules have allowed college stars to excel in different lanes outside of their sports. While they’re all making a push toward national titles this season, they can also enjoy the spoils of their hard work with sponsorships and endorsements.
Nearly two years into the NIL era, college basketball is changing.
Iowa star Caitlin Clark had reportedly made more than $1 million in endorsement deals before she signed with Nike earlier this year. Kentucky‘s Oscar Tshiebwe and Gonzaga‘s Drew Timme are reportedly earning seven figures, too. And Miami‘s Cavinder twins, Haley and Hanna, have turned their millions of followers into millions of dollars.
It’s about time.
For years, college athletes lobbied for the opportunity to benefit from NIL opportunities, but the NCAA blocked those ambitions.
That’s why it’s fair to wonder how the past generations of college basketball players might have fared if they would have had the chance, so we decided to rank former stars according to the NIL value they might have had during their time in college.
We can only imagine what Lisa Leslie, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Sheryl Swoopes, Cheryl Miller, the Fab Five and other 1980s and 1990s stars might have generated during their careers. But we’ve decided to…
