It’s a new era in college basketball now that college athletes (finally) have the ability to profit off their name, image, and likeness.
And while NIL rules have been in place for just over a year now, it is still a bit jarring to see announcements like the one from by Seven1 Sports on Monday morning, which welcomed Gonzaga forward Anton Watson as a client for NIL representation.
Seven1 was started by NBA legends Jermaine O’Neal and Tracy McGrady, and counts multiple college basketball stars among their clientele – including Jalen Wilson from Kansas and Gonzaga’s own Drew Timme.
Watson is a Spokane native who starred at Gonzaga Prep and is now entering his fourth season with the Zags. He’s been a basketball star in the city of Spokane for close to a decade now, which should put him in a position to profit handsomely on the NIL market in the inland northwest.
Andy hosts the Locked on Zags and Locked on College Basketball podcasts, and serves Locked On in a marketing/digital content creator role as well. He lives just outside Portland with his wife Jenna and dog, Tillie.