The NIL era has reshaped college basketball. Collectives and brand sponsorships have turned star players into millionaires before they even reach the NBA. The figures below reflect reported collective offers and brand deals rather than conservative analyst projections. In other words, these numbers show what players are actually being paid or promised during the 2025–26 season, not a hypothetical market estimate. Here are the top five men’s basketball players ranked by their NIL value going into 2025.
Our NIL Value Explained
In the past, NIL valuation represented an estimate of annual earning potential. For this list, we are using the deal-based numbers instead, which is the amounts players have been offered or signed for through collectives and endorsements. This makes the figures higher than the conservative projections, since they include guaranteed upfront payments and structured contracts that more accurately reflect what athletes are bringing in this season.
Highest NIL Valuations in Men’s College Basketball 2025
1. AJ Dybantsa — $7.5 million (BYU, Freshman)
AJ Dybantsa enters college basketball as the richest freshman the sport has ever seen. The 6’8″ forward chose BYU after receiving a collective package worth roughly $7 million, along with additional brand money from Nike and Red Bull that pushes his total closer to $7.5 million.
That figure places him not only at the top of college basketball but among the highest across all college sports. Projected as a future NBA lottery pick, his NIL standing sets a new standard for incoming players.
2. JT Toppin — $4.0 million (Texas Tech, Junior)
JT Toppin was on track to leave for the NBA, but Texas Tech’s collective kept him in Lubbock with a deal worth about $4 million. That retention package instantly made him one of the highest-paid players in college basketball.
Unlike some others on this list, his number is almost entirely collective-driven rather than tied to national sponsorships. Still, the $4M figure shows the lengths programs will go to in order to keep star talent from turning pro.
3. Yaxel Lendeborg — $3.0 million (Michigan, Senior)
After two standout seasons at UAB, Yaxel Lendeborg was a top transfer target. Michigan won the race by putting together a package worth about $3 million through its booster network. That number was enough to pull him out of the NBA Draft and into a Wolverine uniform.
Lendeborg’s deal underscores how NIL has become a tool for big-name programs to stack their rosters with proven talent, even when those players are already on the radar of NBA scouts.
3. Donovan Dent — $3.0 million (UCLA, Senior)
Donovan Dent made the jump from New Mexico to UCLA and secured one of the biggest NIL payouts of the offseason. His package totaled $3 million, with $2 million guaranteed up front and another $1 million tied to the season.
Dent averaged more than 20 points last year and now becomes one of the most expensive guards in the country. While he doesn’t yet have the big-name sponsorships to match, his transfer deal alone makes him one of the most valuable players in college basketball.
5. P.J. Haggerty — $2.5 million (Kansas State, Junior)
P.J. Haggerty wasn’t as high-profile as some of the names above, but his Kansas State deal reflects the rapid escalation of NIL bidding wars. Reports put his package at $2.5 million, with $2 million guaranteed and another $500,000 in incentives.
That puts him ahead of Florida’s Boogie Fland and cements his place in the top five. For a player entering just his sophomore season, Haggerty’s earnings are a sign of how quickly NIL can change a career trajectory.
