Cooper Flagg Made $28 Million in NIL

[Uncle Rico]

Hang this in the Scoop Louvre

[The Lens]

Hang this in the Scoop Louvre

There are times where I question my whole existence solely bc Heisenberg (nee '84) has the same degree as I do.

How can people be this dumb?

[dpucane]

If he really made $28 million in NIL money, why is he going to the NBA?

Because he's now 1 year closer to making over 100 mil/year on his next contract w/ endorsements

[Uncle Rico]

There are times where I question my whole existence solely bc Heisenberg (nee '84) has the same degree as I do.

How can people be this dumb?

Don't be discouraged, just stay vigilant in the fight against ignorance

[Jockey]

Let's get away from the Heisy silliness.

Since Kon was mentioned in this thread, what is the opinion here about him?

As a 6'5" non athletic player, where will he be drafted? He has one elite NBA skill. Is that enough to justify being a lottery pick?  What position can he guard in the NBA?

I love Kon as a college player, but does anyone think he can be any more than a rotation guy in the NBA?

[Billy Hoyle]

Let's get away from the Heisy silliness.

Since Kon was mentioned in this thread, what is the opinion here about him?

As a 6'5" non athletic player, where will he be drafted? He has one elite NBA skill. Is that enough to justify being a lottery pick?  What position can he guard in the NBA?

I love Kon as a college player, but does anyone think he can be any more than a rotation guy in the NBA?

Even if he's a rotation guy, he can have a long career. I view him similarly to Luke Kennard, who went 12th and just finished his eighth season in the league and signed for $17.5 million for the upcoming season

[The Sultan]

Kon is a decent athlete for the NBA. Not super athletic by any means, but he will be more than a simple spot shot maker. He's got good size.

The comp I have seen that makes the most sense is Bogdan Bogdanovic.

[wadesworld]

Let's get away from the Heisy silliness.

Since Kon was mentioned in this thread, what is the opinion here about him?

As a 6'5" non athletic player, where will he be drafted? He has one elite NBA skill. Is that enough to justify being a lottery pick?  What position can he guard in the NBA?

I love Kon as a college player, but does anyone think he can be any more than a rotation guy in the NBA?

You're vastly underrating his defensive abilities.  He won't be a lockdown defender, but he's far from a traffic cone.

[Jockey]

You're vastly underrating his defensive abilities.  He won't be a lockdown defender, but he's far from a traffic cone.

If he is solid on defense, he will be a starter in a couple years. I still need to be convinced on that, though. I'm pretty sure he can body up with guys, but can he play D in space (and, yes I realize there are a lot of guys in the NBA who can't).

[Pakuni]

Bingo ... read the first sentence of the article

And I highlighted it for those like you who are challenged.
----
The Duke star had at least $28 million in NIL deals during his time in Durham, longtime journalist Howard Bryant shared in a conversation with Bob Costas at the 92nd Street Y in New York City.
----
So, yes, it was a long-term deal ... at $28 million/year.

But again, the deals weren't contingent on him being in college. They're multiyear deals that will continue into his NBA career. And he probably was overpaid initially by companies seeking to establish long-term relationships with him.

So, the questions about taking a pay cut in the pros or why would he leave college are silly.

[Shaka Shart]

Times like this when you understand why people slow down driving past car accidents.

[Heisenberg]

There are times where I question my whole existence solely bc Heisenberg (nee '84) has the same degree as I do.

How can people be this dumb?

It's a skill

[Stretchdeltsig]

It makes me sick to read about a college kid getting that much money. Something is terribly wrong.

[The Sultan]

It makes me sick to read about a college kid getting that much money. Something is terribly wrong.

Why? He's making what the market bears just like the rest of us.

[Uncle Rico]

It makes me sick to read about a college kid getting that much money. Something is terribly wrong.

Yeah, think how much Don Kojis should have gotten

[Jay Bee]

Some would say Flagg is making money the traditional way.

[Billy Hoyle]

Some would say Flagg is making money the traditional way.

It's what NIL was meant to be. Similar for Caitlin Clark when she was at Iowa: getting endorsement deals from legit companies.

[MU82]

It makes me sick to read about a college kid getting that much money. Something is terribly wrong.

Me too. He should have gotten more.

[StillAWarrior]

It makes me sick to read about a college kid getting that much money. Something is terribly wrong.

Actually, Flagg getting $28 million makes a lot more sense to me than a lot of NIL deals. As someone upthread said, this is just companies trying to get in on the ground floor of Cooper Flag, Inc. There's at least an argument to be made that it's an investment that might pay off. I assume that this is largely business people making business decisions. This makes far more sense to me than significant payments made by collectives that are simply fans hoping to buy players for their favorite program.

[The Equalizer]

Actually, Flagg getting $28 million makes a lot more sense to me than a lot of NIL deals. As someone upthread said, this is just companies trying to get in on the ground floor of Cooper Flag, Inc. There's at least an argument to be made that it's an investment that might pay off. I assume that this is largely business people making business decisions. This makes far more sense to me than significant payments made by collectives that are simply fans hoping to buy players for their favorite program.

And this is why I don't get Shaka's advice that players don't need agents. Cooper Flagg signed with CAA before he set foot on Duke's campus, and I doubt he would have been able to generate that much NIL on his own. I get that Shaka's view is that an agent isn't going help a player get more *from MU*.  But that's only a part of the NIL picture--and the Cooper Flagg (and Caitlin Clark) example shows there is probably a lot more externally than from the school.

Granted, MU's players aren't going to be in line for $28 million in NIL, but they should be able to pitch themselves for something beyond what they get from Be The Difference. An agent could solicit and vet offers from a host of local and regional businesses, and perhaps even put our players in play for some national deals.

[Jay Bee]

Anyone know how much scrilla Justin got for pluggin Duck Nachos?

[The Sultan]

And this is why I don't get Shaka's advice that players don't need agents. Cooper Flagg signed with CAA before he set foot on Duke's campus, and I doubt he would have been able to generate that much NIL on his own. I get that Shaka's view is that an agent isn't going help a player get more *from MU*.  But that's only a part of the NIL picture--and the Cooper Flagg (and Caitlin Clark) example shows there is probably a lot more externally than from the school.

Granted, MU's players aren't going to be in line for $28 million in NIL, but they should be able to pitch themselves for something beyond what they get from Be The Difference. An agent could solicit and vet offers from a host of local and regional businesses, and perhaps even put our players in play for some national deals.

I can't believe we are doing this again. He never said that players don't need agents. He, in fact, encouraged Tyler to get one.

"During his first two seasons at MU, Kolek hustled up local business deals on his own. MU players also make money through the NIL collective Be The Difference.

But last summer, after a conversation with MU head coach Shaka Smart, Kolek decided to hire professional help for NIL deals. That allowed Kolek to keep more focus on basketball, or as Smart likes to say, "keep the main thing the main thing."

[cheebs09]

And this is why I don't get Shaka's advice that players don't need agents. Cooper Flagg signed with CAA before he set foot on Duke's campus, and I doubt he would have been able to generate that much NIL on his own. I get that Shaka's view is that an agent isn't going help a player get more *from MU*.  But that's only a part of the NIL picture--and the Cooper Flagg (and Caitlin Clark) example shows there is probably a lot more externally than from the school.

Granted, MU's players aren't going to be in line for $28 million in NIL, but they should be able to pitch themselves for something beyond what they get from Be The Difference. An agent could solicit and vet offers from a host of local and regional businesses, and perhaps even put our players in play for some national deals.

I don't think Shaka has anything against agents and I'm pretty sure he recommended some MU players get one due to having more deals to manage. I think it's strictly that hiring an agent to negotiate for more from MU's NIL fund is just throwing money down the drain.

[StillAWarrior]

I can't believe we are doing this again. He never said that players don't need agents. He, in fact, encouraged Tyler to get one.

Absolutely. The distinction here is what I used to think "NIL" deals were going to be before they were actually allowed (i.e., commercially viable transactions whereby businesses pay athletes to endorse products, services, etc.) and what many (most?) "NIL" deals have become (i.e., compensation for attending a particular institution).

I'd be inclined to agree that some players would absolutely benefit from having an agent to help them with the former (assuming that numbers will be enough to justify what is probably a 10-15%+ fee). I also totally understand why Shaka doesn't want to be dealing with agents regarding the latter.

[The Equalizer]

I can't believe we are doing this again. He never said that players don't need agents. He, in fact, encouraged Tyler to get one.

"During his first two seasons at MU, Kolek hustled up local business deals on his own. MU players also make money through the NIL collective Be The Difference.

But last summer, after a conversation with MU head coach Shaka Smart, Kolek decided to hire professional help for NIL deals. That allowed Kolek to keep more focus on basketball, or as Smart likes to say, "keep the main thing the main thing."

Seems like a stretch to claim Shaka *encouraged* Kolek to sign with an agent.

All we know is that they had a conversation. We don't know if Shaka provided encouragement--or whether he tried hard to discourage Kolek.

But answer this--if you believe Shaka encourages players to sign an agent for outside NIL opportunity, why haven't they listened to him?  Why only Kolek?