John Wall believes he could’ve made some $30 million in his time as a college basketball player, if NIL deals were allowed in the late 2000s. Wall, who went on to be the first overall pick of the 2010 NBA Draft and a five times All-Star, played one season with the Kentucky Wildcats in 2009-10.
In his single year in college basketball, he was named the SEC Player of the Year and a Consensus All-American.
On an appearance this Friday on the ‘Off The Bench’ podcast, Wall was asked by Chris Miller how much money he believes he would be able to make if he played now during the NIL era.
Wall made a hand sign signalling that he believes he could’ve secured an NIL deal in the ballpark of $30 million. When the show’s hosts seemed surprised, he said that it was not only down to him being a great player, but marketable one with a solid intro song, and as importantly, a player with good looks.
“30,” Wall said during a Wednesday appearance on the Off the Bench podcast. “I had a dance. I had a song. I was marketable, handsome. I gotta get all type of deals right now, it’s up in the air.
“Because I’m looking at it like this, right? I think the shooter that came from Iowa State that just committed, I think he got $6.5, $7 million. He’s a junior about to be a senior. I’m coming in, name one player in the country with all this hype around me. It gotta be more than that.”
Could John Wall have made $30 million in NIL deals?
It’s highly unlikely that John Wall would have made $30 million in NIL deals. The hyperbole of his statement becomes evident when one looks at the highest earning athletes in college sports at the moment.
The highest valued student athlete according to On3, is Texas’s quarterback Arch Manning. He has a confirmed NIL valuation of $5.2 million, and is rumored to have $2 million more in valuation. The highest valued basketball player is Texas Tech’s JT Toppin, who has a confirmed value of $2.8 million and who is rumored to have another $4 million. He ranks eighth among all student athletes.
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