"I don't know what the hell it said, but the NCAA, they're boneheads" - Charles Barkley believes NIL will create disparity between college basketball players
Name, image and likeness deals are revolutionizing NCAA sports. But Charles Barkley believes the NCAA has lost control of the situation, which will lead to problems.
NIL is one of the top buzzwords in college basketball, as analysts and commentators discuss its impact.
Barkley, a March Madness analyst, understands the NIL issues, because he speaks with players and coaches as a former college and NBA player.
On "Inside the Green with Danny Green," Barkley spoke about NIL and how he feels the NCAA is handling the situation:
"I don't know what the hell it said, but the NCAA, they're boneheads. They should have addressed some of this stuff 20 years ago. Like they say, now the toothpaste is out the tube, and now we can't put it back in there. I don't know how this thing is gonna end."
The NIL, in tandem with the transfer portal situation, is becoming a mess for college basketball. Several coaches and people in positions of relevance have been critical of the current system.
While the mistakes made by the people in charge of NIL deals are a problem, Barkley believes the more significant issue will be for the players.
Charles Barkley on how the NIL is impacting NCAA players
With the rise of name, image and likeness deals, some athletes have become millionaires and have received various expensive gifts and products. In contrast, other players have seen their situations barely change.
Charles Barkley believes that the difference between the top college players and non-superstar players could lead to severe problems.
"(Paolo Banchero and Jabari Smith) gonna get great NIL deals and Chet Holmgren. Those are probably gonna be the top three picks in the draft, but the other guys on the team are like, 'This dude got a car deal, he got a meal deal,and he's got this all this other money he's making, I work just as hard as him.' So I think it's gonna be really bad."
Some top players are using their deals and the transfer portal as leverage in their negotiations with colleges.
Miami's Isaiah Wong will enter the NCAA transfer portal tomorrow if his NIL compensation isn't increased, his agent Adam Papas told ESPN. "Isaiah would like his NIL to reflect that he was a leader of an Elite Eight team." Story: espn.com/mens-college-b…
Isaiah Wong's situation prompted Barkley's comments and the entire discussion on NIL deals. Wong, a standout guard at the University of Miami, threatened to leave the school if his NIL deal wasn't increased. (Wong has also entered the NBA draft but could return to school.) Wong, however, has said he will stay at the school shortly after the declaration was made public.
Pay disparity between teammates is at the root of the Wong situation, so Barkley already has evidence to support his argument.
College basketball's current system has created free agency, with every player as a free agent all the time.