Putting LeBron James and Cooper Flagg in the Same Category, Gilbert Arenas Explains Why Parents Can’t ‘Build the Blueprint’ Off of Them

Caitlin Clark earned around $3.8 million a year when she was at the University of Iowa. Bronny James was pulling in $5.9 million a year while a student at USC. And already, these numbers are being dwarfed by the new top tier of college athletes. Peyton and Eli Manning’s nephew Arch Manning is pulling in a staggering $6.7 million playing for the Longhorns. And Duke freshman Cooper Flagg  is pocketing $5.9 million a year.

Say hello to the Name, Image, Likeness era in collegiate sport. It’s been less than four years since pay-for-play made an appearance on college campuses but the impact has been transformational.

With athletes now able to profit off their talent and popularity even before turning pro, staying on at school has become a viable option. And transfer numbers roster turnovers from one season to the next are through the roof.

It can be incredibly hard for a teen out of high school to handle the prospect of such eye-watering numbers. But even that pales in comparison to being a parent of one of these athletes. Just ask Gilbert Arenas. He’s dad to not one but two future basketball stars who are going to be college athletes before long.  And in today’s era, that means that they’re thinking about NIL.

Gil Arenas knows a thing or two about managing success. He had had a long and successful playing career, and now has a very successful basketball podcast, Gil’s Arena. Which is why, his advise to parents of such kids is worth a listen.

Appearing on The Dan Patrick Show, Gil spoke about the way NIL has influenced his kids’ fledgling athletic careers. He mentioned that his son Alijah, a top-five recruit and Klutch Sports signee, is reclassifying to the 2025 class, while his daughter Izela played for Louisville this past year but has put her name into the transfer portal.

Arenas cautioned that too many parents use the game’s biggest stars as a blueprint for their kids. “You can’t compare your kids to these unicorn type of kids. That’s where a lot of parents mess up… You can’t build the blueprint off of those type of kids, the LeBron Jameses, the Cooper Flaggs, the Paolo Bancheros, the Zion Williamsons. Those are one-offs.”

Arenas may have a kid that scouts are excited about, but he’s smart to not compare him to someone like Flagg, who has been seen as the slam dunk top pick of the draft since before he stepped foot onto Duke’s campus. Every other player he mentioned was also drafted No. 1, which puts them in a separate conversation.

Perhaps the reason the transfer portal is so active at all times is because kids don’t come to school with realistic expectations. It’s natural for an 18-year-old to see themselves as the next big thing. When that doesn’t happen, they switch schools hoping to find that dream elsewhere.

Arenas seems to be doing right by his kids. He’s helping them get representation to make the most out of their abilities, but he’s also not setting up unrealistic scenarios in which they are destined to fail by using someone like Cooper Flagg as a blueprint. It’s surprising to see Arenas, who was a little crazy as a player, take such an even approach to parenting.