NIL money appears to be flowing to Provo.
2026 NBA Draft No. 1 prospect AJ Divanza will be joining college basketball powerhouse Alabama, thanks to a nearly $7 million name, image and likeness (NIL) offer, in a moment of program change on Tuesday. He chose BYU over Kansas and North Carolina. According to Adam Zagoria.
The “huge” NIL package is believed to be a record. According to CBS.
It's not every day that BYU wins a recruiting battle. ESPN's No. 1 Rookie Player There were two bluebloods in the sport and another upstart, but the NIL changed everything.
As long as schools have the funds, they can compete for top names. That's exactly what BYU acquired DiVanza for his only season before turning pro.
Divantha, a 6-foot-9 wing who plays for Utah Prep, calls his game a combination of former Rockets and Magic star Tracy McGrady and current Thunder superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. I explained that it was a thing.
From Massachusetts Winner of state Gatorade Player of the Year Award He averaged 22.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists last year before transferring to Utah Prep. This year's peach jam.
While the NIL certainly played a big role in his decision, the phenom also touted BYU's first-year coach Kevin Young and his NBA history as attractive factors.
Young served as an assistant coach with the 76ers from 2016 to 2020, joining the Suns in 2020 and coaching Devansta's favorite players, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.
“I visited with everyone from the NBA staff, from the head coaches to the analysts, from the analysts to the nutritionists, including the strength coaches,” DiVanza told ESPN on Tuesday. “First Take,” he said. decision.
“So if everything is NBA, I'm going to get the NBA. I think that would be the best development for me.”
