College basketball has come a long way. Back in the day, everybody knew that programs paid the players to play for them, even when it wasn’t allowed by the NCAA.
Now, with NIL, it’s all fair and square, and while that has leveled the field for everybody else to hop in and compete for the top-notch recruits, some think it has taken something away from the game.
Notably, that includes former Kentucky legend Anthony Davis. When asked about the state of college basketball, the NBA champion admitted that he wasn’t much of a fan.
Anthony Davis shares his thoughts on the NIL era
“It’s tough because obviously, they didn’t have that when I was in college. It kinda takes away from the game a little bit because of—and I’m not hating—it takes away from the integrity in the sense of players are only going to certain schools because of the money,” Davis told Sports Illustrated. “Because one guy can leave the next year, transfer—it gets tough when you start talking about culture. That kind of goes out the window, in my opinion.”
Anthony Davis #3 of the Dallas Mavericks
Of course, the players are entitled to getting paid for their talents, especially considering all the hard work they put in and all the revenue they generate for the NCAA and their programs.
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Then again, from a player and character development standpoint, not growing through adversity and just leaving when you don’t get playing time might not be ideal.
