In the ever-changing world of college athletics, the implementation of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals has had a huge impact on how athletes such as JuJu Watkins, who plays for the USC Trojans women’s basketball team, handle their careers.
While these agreements claim to provide financial freedom for players, they have also sparked a discussion about fairness and stability in college sports, with former NBA player Gilbert Arenas lending his voice to the criticism.
Gilbert Arenas Sounds Off on NIL Disparities and Collective Chaos
In a new video titled “NIL Deals Are FORCING Prospects to Rethink the NBA,” Gilbert Arenas explained the current state of college sports.
The video has circulated widely online, showing the former Washington Wizards guard saying the NIL deals form a dividing line between the small percentage of marketable athletes and the majority who are influenced by payments from the university itself.
Arenas makes an impassioned case that the system cares more for money than loyalty and growth.
From Arenas’ perspective, true NIL success is reserved for a tiny elite.
He stated, “There are only a few kids that are doing that. That’s Shedeur Sanders. That’s JuJu Watkins. That’s Paige Bueckers. That this is just a small group, about 10 kids. Everybody else is getting paid by the school themselves. That’s the problem.”
Watkins, a sophomore sensation for the USC Trojans, has an NIL valuation of approximately $765,000, with partnerships including Nike, Fanatics, and Estée Lauder, illustrating the disparity Gilbert Arenas references, as most athletes don’t approach such figures.
He also took a shot at collectives by arguing: “The collective has hurt college basketball because there’s no loyalty for anyone. Um, that’s the boosters paying for kids to leave schools. That’s the collective.”
The NCAA men’s basketball transfer portal has seen a record-breaking number of entrants for the fourth consecutive year, with 2,320 players entering in 2025, marking an 11.3% increase from last year’s 2,083.
On the women’s side, 1,464 players have entered the portal, accounting for about 29% of last season’s rostered players (5,048).
The Ripple Effect of NIL Instability on College Basketball
The instability Arenas describes is reshaping college basketball’s competitive landscape. With schools offering lucrative deals, as Arenas noted:
“The school is paying you to leave that school to come to my school; I give you two million, I give you three million. That’s a different beast.” Players prioritize short-term gains over long-term development. This “free game,” as Arenas calls it, empowers athletes but disrupts traditional team-building.
KEEP READING: Top 10 NIL Deals in Men’s College Basketball
This system undermines the NCAA’s amateurism model, fostering a pay-to-play culture where small players can’t compete. Fans and analysts are concerned about the integrity of the sport as powerhouse schools crowd all competition out of the talent market through sheer financial brawn.
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