John Calipari not worried about ‘tripping over nickels’ in NIL market

John Calipari has made a career over the last decade-plus of getting basketball players paid in the NBA while at Kentucky. However, when it comes to making money while in Lexington through NIL, it’s not exactly a topic that he wants to address.

Calipari spoke about his stance on NIL during an appearance on ‘The Dan Patrick Show’ on Thursday. He says that isn’t a part of his recruiting pitches at UK because that isn’t why he wants players to come to his program. It’s something that they’re doing successfully yet, in his eyes, you’re getting ahead of yourself if you’re counting your NIL dollars before your potential max deal in the pros.

“You talk about name, image, and likeness? I don’t like to get into that with players. Because you don’t come to Kentucky (to make NIL money). I call that tripping over nickels. (You come to Kentucky) to try to get to an NBA max contract,” Calipari said. “We’ve probably got 12 or 13 guys in the league now that have max deals. And it may be 15 or 16 in the next year or two.”

He went on to explain why the Wildcats are so successful in that space even though it’s not an area he recruits with. He said having the blue-blood brand that they do and playing on national television every single game gives them the platform to excel that other schools don’t have.

“Our kids make more than anybody. You saw Jacob Toppin on an AT&T commercial? Lil Wayne is in my office saying, ‘Where’s Jacob Toppin? I saw him on that AT&T commercial!’,” continued Calipari. “You’ve got John Morgan and Morgan & Morgan (doing) national stuff. (That’s) because we’re at Kentucky.”

Last season, Oscar Tshiebwe finished 58th in the NIL 100, which put him in the Top-10 of college basketball players, with a valuation of $639,000. The former National Player of the Year has likely made even more, though, as a Wildcat. Cason Wallace ($246,000) also joined him at No. 31 in college hoops.

From there, all five of Kentucky’s 2023 commitments are within the Top-80 of High School Basketball’s NIL Rankings.

Again, NIL is something that Kentucky’s players are profiting very well from since it’s institution. However, Calipari just wants everyone who comes to potentially play for him that there’s far more money to be made later on down the road if you do it right.

“I don’t want to go in and the first thing I talk about is name, image, and likeness. That’s not why you come to Kentucky. It isn’t. Yet you are going to do better than anywhere else you go. But why talk about that?”

“I’ve had many players say their first year in the NBA was at Kentucky. All that we did, how we practiced, how we competed. And that’s what has happened…That’s what this is about,” said Calipari. “Winning at the highest level, knowing that every game is someone’s Super Bowl, knowing you can’t hide…All that you do by coming here? The competitive practices? You can’t hide and now you’re prepared for what’s ahead.”