"It doesn’t make sense": $847,000-worth Hunter Dickinson weighs in on heavy tax burdens on NIL earnings
Recently, Kansas University center Hunter Dickinson was on The Field of 68 hosted by analyst Jeff Goodman with North Carolina star Armando Bacot. Therein, he expressed his disappointment in the taxes NIL-signed athletes pay on their earnings.
Dickinson said that all the taxes on NIL deals don't make sense. Here's the video on Goodman's profile on X. The discussion about NIL deals is at the 20:01 mark in the video.
The Jayhawks slot man is one of the country's more well-known college hoops players, which earned him several endorsement deals. He signed perhaps his biggest deal with sports giant Adidas when moving from Michigan to Kansas.
Although Dickinson's NIL deals have not revealed his signing value, On3 estimates his yearly NIL value at $847,000. This makes him the 27th-highest NIL-valued player among all collegiate athletes and the fourth-highest-valued college hoops player in the nation.
Dickinson's move to Kansas was 'reportedly' due to NIL
Hunter Dickinson's move to Kansas from Ann Arbor was one of the biggest transfer portal moves in recent college hoops memory. Amongst numerous reasons, NIL was considered the primary reason for his decision to join the Jayhawks.
Dickinson said he made a "selfish" decision to go to Kansas after three seasons with the Wolverines, per ESPN. Despite that, however, the young man has expressed love for his time in Michigan multiple times:
"I still do love Michigan. I still love the school and everything. I love the program. That's why it was so hard to leave because I really didn't want to leave, I didn't. But I just felt like, man, it was the best decision for me. It took a lot of courage."
"I don't think people realize how much courage it took for a guy who was there for three years, an All-American for the team. I did have a legacy there and I basically gave that up to try to be selfish and do what's best for me and my career, not what's best for anybody else's career."
Hunter Dickinson's NIL deals
Dickinson is still making good money off his multiple NIL deals. He recently announced he signed a deal with sportswear giant Adidas as its NIL ambassador network.
Before his big Adidas deal, Dickinson signed with several smaller brands, including Cameo, Engage and Outback Steakhouse.