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Alejandro Zuñiga: Michigan men’s basketball is hiring Dylan Murphy, most recently the head coach of the Osceola Magic NBA G League Team, as an assistant coach, I’ve learned. Murphy is a promising offensive mind who has led the Orlando Magic affiliate to two first-place conference finishes in his three seasons. His accolades there include NBA G League Coach of the Month honors in March 2025.
At least 18 men’s college basketball players will earn more than LeBron James next season. The last time that was true? Try the 2002-03 season, when James was a senior at St. Vincent-St. Mary High in Akron, Ohio. Technically, any college hooper on scholarship “made” more than James at the time, though prominent players were getting more than room, board and tuition long before the current era of compensation in the millions.
Florida’s Thomas Haugh is expected to be the highest-paid player in college basketball next season after he withdrew from the 2026 NBA Draft despite being projected a first-round pick. Matt Norlander of CBS reported Haugh’s earnings could exceed $10 million this season with the Gators, which is more than double what James will make. Following discussions with multiple college coaches, general managers and NBA scouts, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect competitive interests, we know these 18 players will all be making at least $3.9 million.
In a time where collegiate programs and coaches have to get creative in order to raise money for NIL or other amenities, UNLV‘s Josh Pastner is trying his best. Pastner gave his pitch to investors involved with NBA’s Las Vegas franchise, which is expected come to fruition at some point in the next decade. Instead of spending billions, why not spend a couple million to restore the UNLV Rebels to their prior glory?
“I know that a lot of people are trying to become owners of this NBA team coming in 2029,” Pastner told KTNV’s Taylor Rocha. “I have told people, ‘Why? Buy the college basketball team. It’s legal now! You can be the owner of the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels Men’s Basketball team.’ It’s a lot less expensive. “You don’t have to spend over a billion dollars to own our team. I’m asking for $10-12 million to own our team. You’ll still get a great tax write off, and you can be as involved and tell everyone you’re the owner of the team.”
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John Wall revealed that his role as Howard’s President of Basketball Operations is serving as a crash course in the business of basketball, with his long-term goal of becoming an NBA general manager. “I want to learn the front office side,” Wall explained during a recent interview with 247 Sports. “One day I want to be a GM.” For Wall, the position isn’t ceremonial. Instead, he has immersed himself in nearly every aspect of building a modern college basketball program, gaining experience in player evaluation, roster construction and the financial realities of the NIL era.
While several current and former NBA stars have accepted ambassador-type positions with college basketball programs, Wall said he wants to be involved in the hands on work. “Whenever I’m here and I have a day free, I like to pop in and say what’s up, talk to coach. I have a lot more time on my hands than guys who are still playing in the league that has this role. We’re constantly in group texts and group threads all day, getting the schedule of what they have playing and what they got, and every day I touch back in DC I want to come around and watch them practice, watch them play pick up, and talk to some of these young guys and just try and give them guidance,” Wall said.
Speaking on the Str8 to Da League podcast, Jermaine O'Neal shared that Kentucky was his top choice coming out of high school and that Pitino had heavily recruited him, making multiple in-home visits with O'Neal and his family. "I was going to go to Kentucky. Shout out to Rick Pitino, man. Like he recruited me, and this was like the realest thing, man. My mother loved him, man. She loved him," O'Neal said. According to O'Neal, Pitino's honesty ultimately convinced him to skip college and enter the NBA Draft.
Former Kentucky basketball player Kerr Kriisa has been arrested and indicted on a $2.2 million fraud scheme, the Department of Justice announced on Monday. Kriisa -- a 6-foot-3 guard from Estonia who played at Kentucky, Arizona, West Virginia and Cincinnati over six seasons -- "allegedly carried out a scheme to obtain nearly $2.2 million from multiple victims using false representations, fabricated identities, and deceptive communications," per the DOJ's news release on his arrest.
According to the Department of Justice, Kriisa allegedly ran a four-year scheme that involved convincing one victim to send him money by saying his mother had cancer and needed treatment. By posing as his mother in another scheme, he allegedly told one victim he needed money to "save" the family's farm. He also allegedly acted as a woman named "Irene" to sign a fraudulent promise to repay one of the victims $100,000 by a February deadline, per the DOJ's indictment.
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Nikola Kusturica is widely regarded as one of the brightest young talents not only in Serbia, but in global basketball. He is currently shining at the FIBA U17 World Championship, where his performances have attracted significant interest from U.S. colleges. According to Meridian Sport, UCLA has offered the FC Barcelona prospect a $12 million NIL deal for two seasons. Kusturica had already been on the radar of several NCAA programs, but his standout performances at the tournament have further boosted his profile among scouts.
Dusty May left Michigan after two seasons and a national championship for the NBA, in part, because of the uncertainties of NIL support and the transfer portal, Michigan president Domenico Grasso said Thursday at the university’s Regents meeting. Grasso addressed the Board of Regents and those gathered at the meeting after budgets were presented by various departments.
“Moving to the NBA is an opportunity for Dusty to further elevate his career. We wish him all best,” Grasso said. “His departure, however, is a bellwether of college athletics. Our current system is in dire need of clarity and equitable reform. Coach May told me that among his reasons for leaving were uncertainties and pressures involving the transfer portal and NIL support for student-athletes. He and I agree that the future of college sports is headed in the wrong direction.”
