• Loading stock data...
Friday, April 25, 2025

The Biggest Star at the Men’s Final Four Mostly Missed the NIL Gold Rush

  • NIL laws prevent players on international visas from making deals.
  • Edey is aware changing the law can’t happen overnight.
Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Zach Edey’s Purdue career will end after Monday’s national championship game against Connecticut, and he has had two consecutive National Player of the Year awards, a Final Four run, and the school is already retiring his No. 15 jersey. 

And he’s barely profited off it. 

While NC State’s DJ Burns piled up NIL deals along the way of his team’s Cinderella run to the Final Four, Edey has not become a legend at the bank. 

“I feel like I’m missing out on a lot of money,” Edey said at the Final Four ahead of Purdue’s win that clinched a title game berth.

Edey is Canadian and attending Purdue on a visa, which means he is legally unable to make money off NIL deals that take place in the U.S. But there are exceptions. He is able to make NIL deals outside the country and also off his jersey sales. 

It’s unlikely Edey will be college basketball’s last international star as the game continues to become more global. Many NBA stars are foreign such as Nikola Jokić, Luka Dončić, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jamal Murray, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The latter two both played college basketball at Kentucky and would have faced the same problem Edey has. 

“I hope they change it in the future,” Edey said. “I obviously have lost out on a lot of money this year. At the end of the day, it needs to change, for sure. I understand kind of the legal process. It takes a while.

“It’s not like it’s an NCAA rule. It’s an American law. Anytime you try to go change that, I understand it takes a while. But I do think it needs to change.”

Matt Painter, Edey’s coach at Purdue, backed his star player when discussing NIL and said it showed how far it’s come in its short existence and how far it still has to go. 

“We have to get some parameters around what we’re actually doing and what’s actually going on and not try to just do something so we can stay out of the courts,” Painter said. “That’s all things [that] are happening because for a long time, what’s the product? The product is the player. They’re viewed as amateurs, but they weren’t amateurs.

“There’s a lot of money generated through what they’re doing. Name, image, and likeness needed to happen. We just got to get some guardrails around it to be able to get there.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Mar 28, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Lamont Butler (1) dribbles the ball against the Tennessee Volunteers in the first half during a Midwest Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium.

College Sports Has Become a Billion-Dollar Business. Kentucky Is Embracing It

Kentucky said its LLC would operate similarly to two hospitals run by the university.
Dec 27, 2023; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; A close up view of New York Knicks forward Julius Randle (30) shoes during the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center.

Skechers Is Latest Company to Pull Guidance, Citing U.S. Tariffs

Skechers’s healthy international business will help it weather the effects of tariffs.
Apr 4, 2025; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) runs drills at the University of Colorado NFL Showcase at the CU Indoor Practice Facility.

Shedeur Sanders Not Selected in First Round of NFL Draft

There were questions around his attitude and skill set going into the draft.

Raiders Make Ashton Jeanty Highest-Drafted RB Since Saquon Barkley

Jeanty led Boise State to the College Football Playoff this past season.

Featured Today

The Former NBA Agent Who Became a Pickleball Deputy Commissioner

Chris Patrick went from representing Jimmy Butler to pickleball deputy commissioner.
Apr 5, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) reacts after a three point basket against the Houston Cougars during the first half in the semifinals of the men's Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome.
April 21, 2025

Cooper Flagg’s Timing Is Perfect for the NBA and USA Basketball

The projected No. 1 pick just declared for the draft.
Apr 14, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Paige Bueckers is interviewed by ESPN after being selected with the number one overall pick to the Dallas Wings in the 2025 WNBA Draft at The Shed at Hudson Yards
April 21, 2025

ESPN’s WNBA Coverage Mirrors the League’s Stunning Growth

“I don’t think we stand still in our coverage of women’s sports,” says Rowe.
Mar 16, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) celebrates with guard Isaiah Joe (11) after score in the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum.
April 20, 2025

Unorthodox OKC: The Thunder Redefined Tanking to Become NBA’s Best

A rebuild years in the making has OKC in the driver’s seat.
Ole Miss

Coach Yo: Women’s College Hoops Are ‘Pay for Play’

Ole Miss coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin built a top transfer class this offseason.
April 24, 2025

The House Settlement Is in Jeopardy. Here’s What It Will Take to..

The parties will try to salvage the settlement over the next two weeks.
Jan 21, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; College Football Playoff executive director Rich Clark speaks during the CFP National Championship Host Committee handoff press conference at The Westin Peachtree Plaza, Savannah Ballroom.
April 24, 2025

CFP Meetings End With No Major Changes to 12-Team Playoff—for Now

For now, the complicated seeding process will remain in place.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

This week, Two-time Super Bowl Champion and CBS NFL analyst Logan Ryan joins us to talk the business of sports on our third installment of Portfolio Players.
NC State women's cross country
April 23, 2025

Judge Threatens to Reject $2.8 Billion House v. NCAA Settlement

The NCAA and power conferences could end up at trial.
Dec 27, 2024; Memphis, TN, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks defensive back Miguel Mitchell (16) returns an interception during the forth quarter against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.
April 23, 2025

NIL Contract Buyouts Are More Common, but Can They Be Enforced?

The Arkansas collective has issued two demand letters to players to pay buyouts.
Flau'jae Johnson
exclusive
April 23, 2025

Flau’jae Johnson Says She Will Return to LSU

The transfer portal closed Wednesday.
Fordham
April 23, 2025

Fordham Hit With Rare NIL Era NCAA Sanctions

The Rams were hit with recruiting violations stemming from a Times Square photo shoot.