On April 5, the Duke Blue Devils played the Houston Cougars in the NCAA Men’s March Madness Final Four. Even though Duke was the favorite, Houston edged out the Blue Devils by a score of 70 – 67, securing a berth in the finals. Duke’s star player, Cooper Flagg, missed a crucial pull-up jumper that could have put the team ahead with seven seconds left. After the devastating loss, fans wondered, does Cooper Flagg have his sights set on the NBA or is he going to stay at Duke?
Meanwhile, in the NCAA Women’s March Madness Final, UConn secured an 82 – 59 win over South Carolina. The renowned Paige Bueckers finally won an NCAA championship before leaving for the WNBA. Some wondered why Bueckers did not go to the WNBA earlier in her career. Her motive was not only restricted by the WNBA regulations, but also might have had to do with money.
According to Marca, the average pay for an NBA player in the 2024-25 season is $11.9 million. The highest pay is $55.76 million while the league minimum sits at a solid $1,157,153. The NBA has specific rules for draft-eligibility age: a player must be at least nineteen years old when the draft occurs and have had at least one NBA season pass since their graduation from high school. At least one of the following must also apply: graduated from a four-year college/university in the US, four calendar years must have elapsed since high school graduation, or writing an “Early Entry” submission to be received by the NBA 60 days before the draft. There are separate rules for international players.
Flagg, along with fellow freshmen Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach headlined an elite Duke freshman class. All three declared early and are set to be drafted in the 2025 NBA Draft. Flagg averaged 19.2 points per game with an average of 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists. Knueppel averaged 14.4 points, 4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. And, Maluach averaged 8.6 points per game, 6.6 rebounds, and 0.5 assists. With these stats (and overall performance), most would think Flagg and his teammates would set their eyes on professional basketball. If I were in his position, I would want to go to the NBA too.
In drastic comparison, the WNBA’s average pay is around $120,000, with the highest salary being $252,000 (Jackie Young of the Las Vegas Aces). Contrary to the NBA, the WNBA has a higher age requirement to enter the draft. They require entrants to either be at least 22 years old, graduate from a four-year college, or be four years removed from high school graduation. International players have to be at least 20 years old. Not only is the pay not as desirable as the NBA, but the age limit restricts female players from turning professional early.
After years of debate over whether college players should be paid, in 2021, NCAA introduced NIL (name, image, likeness) policies. ESPN describes it as, “a person’s legal right to control how their image is used, including commercially.” NIL rules vary by state, though, so different limitations for NIL depend on where an athlete plays. For example, in Arkansas, the state has a specific rule that “athletes can’t promote themselves during practices, games, or other team activities” (NIL Network). Without NIL, college athletes were not allowed to make money off of sponsorships or commercialization. Texas quarterback Arch Manning makes the most off of NIL ($6.5 million), and Cooper Flagg follows behind ($4.8 million). These college athletes are making more than the highest paid WNBA player makes. In her senior season, Bueckers made around $1.4 million from NIL—still more than an average WNBA player.
NIL, combined with the transfer portal, has had a huge impact on college sports. College coaches can now not only offer their program, but the money that may come with it. Still, our three Devils and Husky are going pro. Tune in to ESPN on May 12th for the 2025 NBA Draft lottery in which the first four picks will be decided. CBS’ mock draft predicts he will go first overall to the Utah Jazz (assuming they get the first pick). The mock-up also has Knueppel landing with the Brooklyn Nets sixth overall and Malauch going to the Chicago Bulls at twelfth overall. In the WNBA draft last month, Bueckers was drafted first overall by the Dallas Wings. In an interview with NBC Connecticut, when asked what her message was to her fans and supporters, Paige said, “thank you for everything, for the support, for the belief, for just the reassurance that it’s not just basketball here…I hope I can live my life in an ode of thanks to everybody.”