Gonzaga star Corey Kispert’s advice to student-athletes in the NIL era: ‘Go after what you’re worth and be careful while doing it.’
Corey Kispert, the Gonzaga basketball star who just missed the opportunity to cash in on his name, image and likeness as a college athlete, has some advice for his former teammates and competitors as they consider opportunities to hawk T-shirts, college town pizza, and more:Indeed, the so-called “NIL” or “name, image and likeness” era — which launched this month when the NCAA relaxed rules prohibiting college athletes from profiting off their name, image or likeness — has created the chance for...
“There’s a lot of scary stuff that can happen to you when you create deals with businesses,” said Kispert, who is expected to picked up by an NBA team in the first round of the draft on July 29. “Make sure you have somebody in your corner. Make sure they review those contracts and understand exactly what you’re getting yourself into.”
“I would have spent a lot less time playing video games with my buddies and a lot more time building my personal brand,” if NIL had been around when he was in school, Kispert said. Gonzaga athletic staff, the school and the fan community treated Kispert well and he never felt exploited, he said. “But as soon as the numbers are put in front of you and you start to look at what schools are making and what coaches are making,” and you think about those funds in the context of athletes’ work on the court and in the gym, “the questions do start to pile up,” Kispert said.
Kispert got the chance to explore questions surrounding paying college athletes as part of the National Association of Basketball Coaches Player Development Coalition. There, Kispert was part of a group of men’s basketball players who met regularly to discuss issues facing student-athletes and meet with the organization’s board of directors as well as NCAA committees.