When Gonzaga was knocked out of the 2022 Division I men’s basketball tournament in March, forward Drew Timme was faced with a choice: enter the NBA draft or return to the Zags.
“There’s a lot of people that have to make money to provide for their family,” Timme told Front Office Sports. “I think we’ve seen a lot of scenarios where kids end up leaving [school] early, but they’re not ready for the pros.”
Timme didn’t want to make that mistake — and thanks to name, image, and likeness, he didn’t have to. While NIL wasn’t the main reason he returned to Spokane, he said it was a factor.
Unlike other star players, the senior isn’t relying on the league to deliver earnings or a career. Instead, he’s using NIL deals to both secure guaranteed money now and explore future professions off the court.
He’s earned six figures in deals — and is even using one to lay the groundwork for a future as a sports broadcaster.
Timme reasoned that a two-way NBA deal, his most likely opportunity, pays about $250,000-500,000. While declining to provide a specific number, he said it’s fair to deduce that he’s making at least the value of a two-way deal — if not more.
His income comprises a long list of brand deals, from Dollar Shave Club — for which he infamously serves as a “chin-fluencer” — to Walker’s Furniture company. He’s also worked with a Gonzaga NIL collective, the Friends of Spike.
But his future considerations didn’t stop with his decision to return to school.
One of his more atypical deals is with The College Athletes Network, which will pay him to host a podcast. He plans to chat about the Xs and Os of Gonzaga basketball, as well as show a bit of his personality for fans — with the ulterior motive of test-driving a broadcasting career.
“This podcast thing, it could be really good, and I could love it,” he said. “Or I could be awful, and I could hate it.” He said it’s better to wade into sports media now before finding himself pigeonholed in the future.
“We’re so young, and there’s so many things we can do later on in life,” Timme said. “It’s important not to limit yourself to one thing only. I think you should try out a bunch of things to figure out what you like.”
Thanks to all his NIL opportunities, he has more freedom than ever to do just that.
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