Kendrick Perkins, an ESPN analyst and former NBA standout, joined Benzinga’s “PreMarket Prep” show this week to discuss NIL investment opportunities for college athletes. NIL, or Name Image and Likeness, is an avenue through which college athletes get paid through endorsements and brand deals while still in school.
Perkins has joined Edly and its subsidiary, Nilly.us, a platform that empowers athletes and allows them to start capitalizing on their name, image and likeness more quickly by providing licensing payments without forcing athletes into loan terms unfair. The platform offers investors the opportunity to choose their own strategy and participate in future NIL earnings.
“I would tell them (college athletes) to get a head start in life,” Perkins said.
“Have peace of mind. And getting peace of mind means getting financial security. Usually in the old school, you could trust a person’s word. In today’s game, you can’t trust someone’s word. At the end of the day, if you have an opportunity to ‘gold like NILLY, it’s not your typical student loan, if you get injured you don’t have to pay it back.’
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Perkins shared insights into his journey, which included at one point being ranked as the No. 1 prospect in high school basketball ahead of a guy named LeBron James. Perkins said he knew he wanted to forgo college and go straight to the NBA when he was in seventh grade as he and his family sought financial security.
But now, thanks in part to innovative platforms like NILLY, athletes don’t have to make the difficult decision between financial security and a college education; they can have both.
In fact, some of the best college athletes in the country like Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and former USC standout quarterback Caleb Williams brought in millions of dollars through NIL deals. Click here to watch Perkins’ full interview on “PreMarket Prep.” by Benzinga.
Photo: KendrickPerkins/X Hoop/PngWing
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