The best college players often go from playing for free to finding themselves with vast wealth in their teens. It can be a mixed blessing
At the start of the year, Alexandre Sarr was playing in Australia’s NBL, where the average salary is around $100,000. Reed Sheppard was playing in college where, NIL deals aside, he earned nothing. Now, after going No 2 and No 3 overall in June’s draft, they are millionaires. Sarr is guaranteed $23m from his rookie contract with the Washington Wizards, while Sheppard will have to make do with $20m from his deal with the Houston Rockets (both contracts could end up paying the duo north of $45m each). It’s not just the top picks who suddenly have access to wealth either. Nine players in the second-round of this year’s draft – guys who may not ever have a meaningful career in the NBA – have signed multimillion dollar contracts with their teams.
Those contracts often change lives for the better. But they can also become a burden as young men, often still in their teens, suddenly grapple with a fortune that arrived overnight.