Cooper Flagg became a millionaire before setting foot in the NBA. The touted number one pick, AJ Dybansta, is set to make $4.4 million through NIL deals. The emergence of Name, Image, and Likelihood deals enables college athletes to reach financial security without necessarily going into the league. So if Shaquille O’Neal were at LSU right now, why wouldn’t he look to reap the most out of lucrative NIL deals?

As a business mogul who later understood how to really use money to build wealth, Shaq feels he wouldn’t have gone for the one-and-done approach if NIL deals existed. With the storm he brought over to LSU, the Big Diesel is aware that he would be one of the highest-earning athletes in college. Then why settle for less by going to the NBA?

“I would try to get as much education when

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