NC State’s DJ Burns is ‘the NIL king,’ motivated to improve off last year’s finish

As NC State graduate forward DJ Burns walked around ACC Tipoff at the Hilton Charlotte Uptown last week, he almost always had his neon yellow sunglasses with reflective lens on. They’re loud, but the eyewear is almost a part of Burns’ brand now. 

So much so, that coach Kevin Keatts joked whether or not his All-ACC honorable mention forward was being paid to wear them or not.   

“He’s the NIL king,” Keatts said with a laugh about Burns. “He’s wearing these sunglasses around. I’m wondering if he’s getting paid for that, or is he trying to get paid for that?”

While his sunglasses might be his next target for an NIL deal, Burns has been able to take advantage of the NCAA’s new rules in regards to making money as a student-athlete. He’s been dubbed the mayor of Raleigh by Keatts because of his outgoing personality, which is a trait that has led to his ability to profit from his likeness. 

But the NIL world has been more than Burns could have imagined when it first went into effect last year. Burns originally thought it would be posts on social media that he would be paid for, but it has been a lot more than that for the Wolfpack’s big man. 

Yes, Burns has done the traditional NIL things like make appearances at local businesses, sell merchandise and profit from jersey sales with his name on it. But he has also taken it a step further: television commercials. 

Burns has shot three commercials already. His first was for CVS Pharmacy, which debuted last week, while he has also made another with Mt. Olive Pickles and the third one is to be announced at a later date when it releases. 

“That’s been the most interesting thing I’ve ever got to experience,” Burns said. “You don’t really realize how much work goes into that stuff until you’re in it. … Being able to open up to a whole new avenue that before wasn’t an option is amazing.”

The CVS commercial featured Burns playing basketball inside the Wolfpack’s practice court, but his other two have featured speaking lines for him. 

And that, well, has been an experience in itself for the outgoing Burns, who almost always has a smile on his face as he lights up every room he walks into. 

“It took me a long time to get that right because I kept laughing when I was doing it,” Burns said of his speaking lines. “I couldn’t even believe that I was doing this. It was kind of crazy.”

While Burns has been successful off the court through NIL, the experience he is gaining in life is part of what Keatts’ mission is as a basketball coach. 

“When I got into coaching, basketball is important, but life after basketball for these guys is more important to me,” Keatts said. “Being good fathers, good husbands — that’s what really goes a long way.”

While that might be the case, Burns is still focused on basketball, too. The Rock Hill, S.C., native is still frustrated by how the Wolfpack’s season ended a year ago against Creighton in the NCAA Tournament. 

Burns said he’s watched that game at least eight times since it ended, and he called it the most humbling experience he’s had in basketball. 

“When you don’t properly prepare, that’s what’s going to happen,” Burns said of the 72-63 loss to the Blue Jays. “I had one of the worst games I’ve ever played in my life, if not the worst. It definitely gave me perspective of how hard I need to work so that doesn’t happen again.”

Burns was just 1-of-5 from the field with two points and four rebounds against Creighton. He also recorded four fouls in just 19 minutes on the court. 

Each time he rewatched it, Burns became furious with himself. 

“I just got so mad at myself,” Burns said. “We’re in timeouts and I’m staring up into the stands like we’re not getting beat. I learned a lot about how I need to lock in, not just from a basketball aspect, but all the things around it as well.”

Burns took the opportunity to evaluate himself after watching the film, and his goal is to become a more versatile player on the floor for NC State this fall. Not only did he focus on that, he said he has become more “intentional” with what he does. 

Being more “intentional” means focusing on the little things a little closer, which in turn will help him and the team improve each day.

That’s also been applied to his own body. He said he has worked on toning his body, rather than just becoming slimmer on the court. 

“It’s kind of pointless to lose the weight if you don’t put in the work to maintain it,” Burns said. “I think that’s been the biggest thing for me, and changing my diet. I took the approach of my freshman year: really to lock in and cut out anything that’s unnecessary. Everything we do is with intention now.”

Burns is focused on being a better player this season — his final collegiate campaign. He has worked to learn from last season, but as he as continued to grow on the court, Burns has flourished off of it as well. 

The Wolfpack’s fan-favorite player has been pushed out of his comfort zone through NIL, and he has embraced it — just like he did with learning last season’s finish. 

“I’m not gonna lie, I was a little bit intimidated because it’s different when you’re answering questions about things you’re comfortable with,” Burns said of the commercials. “But when they put you in a whole new aspect — stand at this angle, say this — they’re making you record it like 47 times just for a two-second cut, it was definitely something I had to get used to. Now, I look forward to doing more.”