University income may have changed the NBA draft forever

The number of players who have declared themselves early to the NBA 2025 Draft is the lowest since 2015, a trend that responds, to a large extent, to the impact of the NIL system (Name, Image & Likeness). This mechanism has completely transformed the university basketball panorama, allowing athletes to generate income legally thanks to their name, image and appearance

Historically, the NBA draft represented the main route for players to start their professional career and begin to receive income. However, with the consolidation of the NIL, many emerging talents prefer to remain in the university, since they can obtain lucrative contracts that, in many cases, exceed the income of a rookie with a low round.

Let’s take some examples to give perspective: Draft 2025 picks will have a salary of approximately 2.8 million dollars according to the NBA rookie salary scale, and Robert Wright III, instead of making the leap to professionalism, chose to transfer from Baylor to Byu after ensuring an agreement of 3 million dollars via Nil or JT Toppin decided to continue in Texas Tex 4 million dollars under this scheme.

In addition, some players declare the Draft with the sole purpose of strengthening their negotiation position in NIL contracts, and then retracting and returning to the university with better economic conditions.

This new scenario has turned university basketball into an extremely attractive alternative, not only from the competitive point of view and sports development, but also as a solid financial platform. The possibility of generating significant income without the uncertainty of the professional transition explains why many prospects are choosing to postpone their entry into the NBA.