If NIL had existed during the 90s, there is a very good chance that Penny Hardaway would’ve been one of the highest earning student-athletes out there.
Hardaway dazzled for the Orlando Magic during the 90s, as he and Shaquille O’Neal were one of the most formidable duos the NBA has ever seen.
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But with Hardaway now running the show as the men’s basketball coach at Memphis, it’s clear that he views the whole process more from a recruiting standpoint rather than being a college student getting paid millions of dollars.
“For me, being a former athlete, I think it’s great,” Hardaway said, via Memphis Commercial Appeal. “But some of this stuff is kinda getting out of hand. It’s definitely the main reason why we can’t get what we want. If we were just flat-out recruiting, then we would have an advantage.
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“But now, it’s a little more difficult with NIL.”
Memphis has a plethora of talent coming in next season. Four freshmen — Mikey Williams, JJ Taylor, Ashton Hardaway and Carl Cherenfant. They are also adding six transfers — Caleb Mills, Jonathan Pierre, Nick Jourdain, Teafale Lenard Jr., Jayhlon Young and David Jones.
“(NIL) has been a huge part of the recruiting process this year, more than ever,” he said.
