For years, college basketball was a launching pad. Players grinded through practice, dorm meals, and March Madness runs for one ultimate goal: the NBA. Scholarships were nice, but the big payday only came after draft night. That hunger-knowing you had to make it to the league to change your life-was what pushed athletes to the limit.
Now, that hunger looks different. Since the NCAA’s NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) policy opened the door for athletes to profit in 2021, some of the best players in the country are already millionaires before ever declaring for the draft. According to On3, Bronny James was valued at more than $4 million annually in NIL endorsements, and other stars like Shedeur Sanders weren’t far behind before making the jump to the NFL.
That shift has sparked heated debate around the sport. Some see NIL as overdue justice for athletes who generate billions for their schools. Others worry it’s changing the very culture of college hoops.
And this week, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams-fresh off an NBA championship-made it clear which side he leans toward.
The Allure of the NBA Isn’t the Same Anymore
On the Out The Mud podcast with Tony Allen, Williams opened up about why NIL money might be messing with young players’ motivation.
“I think the only thing with giving kids that much money is, like, you kind of ruin a little bit of the college experience,” he said. “For me, some of the fun was not having money in college. Everybody’s broke in college.”
It sounds counterintuitive, but Williams argued that the struggle fueled him.“I don’t have money and I don’t want to keep asking my parents to make ends meet,” he explained. “My mindset was, let’s get to the league. For them, it’s more like, ‘Let me stay back in school and get money.’ It kind of takes a little bit of the allure of the NBA.”
The bigger issue, he said, is that some college athletes are out-earning actual NBA players. “There’s some killers in the NBA that don’t get as much money as dudes in college who aren’t as good.”
Still, Williams wasn’t dismissive. He admitted that if someone can stay in school, cash checks, and get a degree, it’s hard to argue against that. “It’s that double-sided sword,” he said.
Between Dreams and Dollars
Williams knows the temptation of NIL, but he insists it wouldn’t have changed his path. “Even if I was in today’s landscape, I think I would have stayed at Santa Clara the three years and tried to go to the NBA. Because growing up, that’s what I wanted to do.”
Now 24 and one of the league’s fastest rising stars, he’s already got a championship ring and a new contract that sets him up for years to come. For him, the dream of the NBA was worth more than NIL could ever offer.
But the question lingers: what happens to the next generation of players if the dream is replaced by the bag?
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