July 1 will mark one year since the NCAA enacted its interim NIL policy for student-athletes to monetize their name, image, and likeness. Chet Holmgren, the seven-foot former Gonzaga star projected to be selected in the top three of tonight’s NBA Draft, hopes future college athletes will benefit from a more mature NIL landscape that includes a set of national regulations.
“I think it would definitely be helpful if there were universal rules,” Homlgren told SportTechie at an event for Philips Norelco, one of his NIL partners. “It was implemented on the fly depending on the circumstances and there was really no time to put together a universal rule book. But over time I think they will, I think they can make it even more fair and equal for everyone.”
The NCAA approved its interim NIL patch policy last year amid pressure from states that have begun to pass their own NIL legislation. In April, NCAA President Mark Emmert urged collaboration between the NCAA and Congress to create federal NIL regulations in lieu of current state laws that have helped cultivate a pay-per-play model in college athletics.
Holmgren’s NIL portfolio includes deals with brands such as Topps, Bose and Yahoo Sports. He attended Tuesday’s Phillips event in Brooklyn along with former Duke freshman star Paolo Banchero, another projected top-three pick in tonight’s draft. Banchero shares Yahoo Sports and Phillips as NIL partners, but says student athletes rarely discuss the finances behind NIL deals with each other.
“I wouldn’t say we shared the amounts we were receiving, we kept it private out of respect,” Banchero said. “If a guy got a deal, we were always the first to congratulate each other.”
Banchero made history earlier this year when he became the first active college player to appear as a playable character in the NBA 2K video game series.
“I can’t even put it into words, it was surreal to me,” Banchero said of his appearance in NBA 2K22. “I played 2K every day since I was nine years old, so I’ve been a huge fan of the game my whole life. Seeing myself in the game before I got to the NBA, I couldn’t even believe it. Playing with myself and seeing my face there in my jersey and all of that was crazy.”
Source: www.sporttechie.com