After Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams called out ESPN's Stephen A Smith , he addressed NIL's impact on collegiate athletes in the same interview. When the topic was mentioned, Williams jokingly expressed frustration for narrowly missing out on the opportunity after entering the NBA in 2022. However, after Jalen signed a five-year extension worth $287 million, this summer, he's no longer thinking about what he missed out on.

Still, Williams believes NIL would have ruined the humble college experience he and many others endured before entering the NBA, he said, via the Out The Mud podcast with Tony Allen and Zach Randolph.

“I think the only thing with giving kids that much money is you kind of ruin a little bit of the college experience 'cause like, looking at it for me

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