Months After Angel Reese and Caitlin Clarks? Multi-Million Deals, $5 Million Earner Alyssa Thomas Sounds Off on NCAA?s NIL Structure

NCAA is the breeding ground to produce future basketball stars. A majority of the players playing in the professional leagues have been prominent in their college basketball days. However, nowadays a rookie can crack his/her first million before being available for the draft. College basketball players attract massive NIL deals as a result of their fame and popularity.

Here is what former WNBA star Alyssa Thomas has to say about this.

Alyssa Thomas sheds light on NCAA athletes attracting huge NIL deals

The Connecticut Sun power forward Alyssa Thomas appeared in a recent episode of The 411 with Deja Kelly. Deja asked Alyssa about the things she wished she had known. Alyssa replied, “The Financial part. We didn’t have the NIL. Going into the league and not knowing anything about the taxes or balancing money or all those types of aspects. You just kind of get thrown into the fire.”

The NCAA has devised a policy that allows college athletes to derive an income using their name, image and likeness (NIL). As a result, these college players are signing huge endorsement deals with some of the leading brands.

Alyssa further added, “You got college kids getting this type of money and not really the financial support that they need. I’m a huge advocate for the league now for us to have more education on finances. How to balance your money. I wish I would have started in college. I wish I had these opportunities in college to learn so I could have been even further along than I am now.”

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Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark are perhaps the two biggest names in NCAA women’s basketball right now.

Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark’s NIL war

Their rivalry on the court has kept the fans buzzing about them. However, there is an ongoing battle outside the basketball court between them. Reese had an NIL valuation of $485,000 while Clark sat on $547,000 before the Finals. Their NIL valuation has skyrocketed after their clash in the championship game. The Bayou Barbie is way ahead of her rival with her valuation reaching $1.3 million. After losing the Finals, Clark’s valuation grew to $739,000.

Caitlin has signed multiple endorsement deals with heavyweights like Bose, Nike, Goldman Sachs and Hy-Vee. Moreover, the No.22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes has an estimated net worth of $3 million, whereas the NCAA champion is associated with brands like Coach, McDonald’s, Sparkling Ice, JanSport and Bose. In addition to this, her net worth is approximately $1 million.

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It is clear that Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark are having a back-and-forth battle. Further, fans are excited to see them going against one another both on and off the court. While Angel has the upper hand right now, there is no saying when and how Caitlin will bounce up higher.

What are your thoughts on the NIL battle between the two? Share with us in the comments section.