Oscar Tshiebwe is going to make a lot of money at Kentucky

Big O is about to rake in some big bucks.

On Wednesday afternoon, Kentucky’s National Player of the Year award winner, Oscar Tshiebwe, announced live on SportsCenter that he will return to the Wildcats for a senior season. The news has injected life into a program that desperately needed something to look forward to coming off a disappointing end to the 2021-22 season. It’s not often that a reigning NPOY comes back for another year of college, but in Tshiebwe’s unique situation, it’s understandable why he did.

An early report from Stadium’s Jeff Goodman following Tshiebwe’s decision indicated that the 6-foot-9 big man could earn in the neighborhood of $2 million by returning to Kentucky for another season through name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals. However, the actual number expects to be much, much higher. The final figure could reach as much as $5 million, sources tell KSR. The Athletic’s Kyle Tucker and ProInsight’s Andrew Slater both responded to Goodman’s report by saying the dollar amount for Tshiebwe will likely be north of $2 million.

Tshiebwe has already launched a line of merchandise through Kentucky Branded and will surely have his picking of any major NIL deals he so chooses.

In the end, NIL ultimately played a significant role in Tshiebwe’s decision to return. He was not considered as a first-round selection in the upcoming 2022 NBA Draft and repeatedly spoke in public about his desire to return to Kentucky. However, legal issues revolving around his ability to earn money off NIL clouded the decision. Had he declared for the league, a second-round pick might have been his future. As a random example, the No. 38 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft — Ayo Dosunmu by the Chicago Bulls — made $925,000 during his rookie season.

But those problems have apparently been worked out. Tshiebwe could potentially make 5x that of a second-round NBA pick as a college senior and beloved fan favorite at Kentucky.

Good decision, O. Welcome back.