James Harden makes "high six-figure" donation to ASU's NIL program
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James Harden as an ASU Sun Devil in 2009 during a game against USC. Photo: Dustin Snipes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
ASU alum turned NBA superstar James Harden recently made a "high six-figure" donation to ASU's Sun Angel Collective, the group that raises money to pay student athletes for name, image and likeness (NIL) deals, Harden told Front Office Sports.
Why it matters: NIL, now in its fourth year, has fundamentally changed college sports by making money the No. 1 recruitment tactic.
- Schools like ASU that didn't have well-established booster programs have been playing catch-up with southern and coastal universities that quickly tapped big donors and offered athletes major endorsement deals off the bat.
What they're saying: "NIL nowadays is the most important thing, because kids want to be compensated for their play and their work," Harden told Front Office Sports. "I wanted to be a part of helping the team and the school get players … and if NIL is the problem, then I can help with that."
The intrigue: Harden made the significant donation prior to this season, and it appears to have helped ASU land five-star power forward Jayden Quaintance, who initially committed to Kentucky after being courted by the nation's top programs.
- He turned them all down to join ASU, coming off a 14-18 season.
Reality check: The big bucks haven't yet translated to on-court success. ASU's record is 13-14 and they're sitting in second-to-last place in the Big 12.
Yes, but: Harden said it doesn't bother him — "there's a part of this sport where you can't be great every single year," he told Front Office Sports.
- Harden said he talks frequently with ASU head coach Bobby Hurley about what the basketball program needs, but has trusted him to decide how to spend his investment.
The other side: Though Harden isn't the only NBA player to spend big on NIL, the practice remains rare and controversial, per Front Office Sports.
- Many athletes interviewed by the sports business publication said they didn't want to throw away money on college players with unpredictable futures and are sticking to more traditional donation avenues, like funding team gear or facilities.
- One college basketball executive speculated that some NBA players are bitter because they couldn't profit from their own college careers.
Between the lines: UofA alum Richard Jefferson, now an ESPN analyst after 17 seasons in the NBA, told Front Office Sports he wouldn't invest in NIL because it isn't regulated.
- "You put money into a pool and you can give a kid a million dollars, and the next year someone can offer him $1.1 million at another school, and he can just go."
- In 2007, Jefferson donated $3.5 million to UofA's practice facility, an investment he said made much more sense than "just buying players."
The bottom line: The business side of college athletics continues to evolve, so while Harden may be an anomaly now, it could turn out he was just ahead of the curve.