“How did we become so bad as a society that we’re actually ruining college sports- one of the greatest way for most people in the world to get a free education.” This was a worried Charles Barkley last year, who wasn’t happy with how the focus of the young athletes was shifting. Chuck was speaking about the change due to the NIL and questioned a lot of parents about their part in this situation. Even his co-host and best friend, Shaquille O’Neal had a similar viewpoint. And now Kevin Garnett too shares his two cents on the heavily debated matter.

“Ya’ll seeing this!? A ESPN top dog going into NIL. This NIL shyt is just getting started… shout out Woj 💯,” the Celtics legend wrote on X. KG made it clear that even though he was criticizing the NIL, it was nothing personal with former ESPN senior NBA insider. After all, Adrian Wojnarowski choosing the GM role at his Alma Mater is not dissimilar to what he was doing previously.

The 55-year-old will have to keep tabs on the transfer portal which his ‘Woj Bombs’ are already famous for. But the new role will also include recruiting and helping the coach with a solid roster. However, the NIL is not all bad because it gives exposure to athletes and helps them earn more.

Recently, even Paige Bueckers opened up about her NIL value, which is $1.4 million already. The Huskies star spoke on A Touch More podcast, where she voiced her happiness with NIL. She said, “I get paid to do stuff that I dreamed of doing. It’s really crazy.” Even though athletes like it, Shaq had a problem.

Shaquille O’Neal agrees with warning signs from Kevin Garnett

On his podcast, the Lakers legend spoke about the mentality of parents that might hinder their kid’s progress. Speaking about his personal experience, he once revealed how he was reminded that Shareef was the #1 fifth grader at the time. Shaq hated that comparison and even said the NIL would add fuel to the problems.

“These parents, these rankings, these going virals and then these AAU coaches that got deals with these big programs. And you know, then they are promising stuff. And then the killer, the NIL.” But one of the LSU athletes and star of The Money Game series which Shaq is a producer of, had a different point of view.

Olivia Dunne with a $4M NIL valuation, simply stated “Don’t be a hater.” So clearly there are two separate chains of thoughts, one from the current athletes and the other from the previous generation. Kevin Garnett, Charles Barkley, and Shaq want the athletes to focus on their fundamentals in college. But athletes like Dunne and Paige Bueckers have no issue with the exposure they are garnering while they develop their talent.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.