Former teammate of LeBron James, Channing Frye, had some strong opinions about school athletes getting paid. The 2016 NBA champion recently appeared on the Road Trippin’ podcast, where he was asked about his thoughts on amateur athletes getting paid for their influence. In response, Frye was adamant that individuals, no matter how young, should be able to benefit from companies the way the companies benefit from them. Here is what he said on the matter.
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“To be honest, f**k it, get that money! If it is a business deal… let’s say, Hendrix, my son, or even Margot. If Margot turns out to be from freshmen year, Gatorade Player of the Year in volleyball, her family lives here, she is in the community, she is a wholesome, wonderful person that can benefit another business…
Why can’t that business support her, in her endeavor to continue to get better? To do commercials? ‘Hi, I’m Margot Frye for Lake Oswego Dry Cleaning!…’. So, the business relationship, if the dry cleaner, or the the car place feels that it’s going to help them do business, take that chance! If not [shrugs], then that’s on you.”
Frye further goes on to bring up the example of Mikey Williams. The once highly touted NBA prospect who had the world at his feet is now in jail due to six felony gun charges. Frye used his example to make the point that an athlete’s life can be unpredictable. So, if they are benefitting a party monetarily, they deserve a share in the earnings, too.
NIL Deal: The contract that allows amateur athletes to get paid
A NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) deal is one that was only approved for amateur athletes very recently. In essence, it allows college and school athletes to cash in on the use of their name, image, and/or likeness.
Such NIL deals were only made available to college athletes not long ago. And even for the college athletes, it was a long and drawn-out war with the authorities before they received their place at the table.
Perhaps the biggest beneficiary of this provision is LeBron James’s son, Bronny James. The 18-year-old already has a $5.9 NIL valuation, something he has cashed in with a host of big brands, including Nike and Beats by Dre. And given his game and fanbase already, it is likely that number will grow exponentially before long.
