Andre Iguodala explains why he believes NIL is not good for young athletes: “Kids are getting paid before they’re actually maturing in their talent”

Name, image, and likeness deals have completely changed the game in college sports. These deals have suddenly allowed college athletes to bring in money before they even go pro, and sports fans widely view this as a positive.

Of course, there are two sides to every story, and some downsides have certainly popped up as a result. Andre Iguodala recently explained one of the more unique angles that could have folks reframing their viewpoint of NIL as a whole.

Iguodala keeps it real when discussing NIL

Before his 19-year career in the NBA, Iguodala spent two seasons in college playing for the Arizona Wildcats. During those two years, Iguodala didn’t make any money from playing basketball, which incentivized him to work harder to make it to the league.

Nowadays, kids could be making millions of dollars before they go pro. In Iguodala’s eyes, that creates an issue regarding the development of these young athletes because they don’t have the same incentive to work as hard to get themselves paid.

“The NIL deal is destroying the entire pipeline of American youth development because kids are getting paid before they’re actually maturing in their talent,” Andre Iguodala said on 7PM In Brooklyn . “So they don’t get discipline because they don’t understand the long-term games. It was like, ‘Man, I gotta work hard, because I probably won’t get to the league until I’m 21, so I gotta go hard.’”

“ And then I done put my skill set together, I’m mature, my mind has gotten there, I understand teamwork, I understand how winning works. Now, winning is not a part of the equation in any youth sport…It’s not the priority. It’s like, let me go get mine,” Iguodala added.

Does Iguodala have a point with his NIL complaint?

Iguodala's stance on NIL takes an interesting angle because player development isn’t really the first thing people would generally think about. Typically, people first notice the money associated with it and the deals these athletes are getting with different companies.

Getting college athletes paid has been a long time, but that has some consequences we weren’t ready for. Giving college athletes all this money before they even go pro has completely changed how they approach their sport of choice.

Instead of rushing into the pros, some athletes are milking their time in college as much as they possibly can. In some cases, the goal isn’t even to go pro; it’s just to make as much money as possible while you can at the collegiate level before figuring out the next steps.

It’s a bit of an eye-opening stance from Iguodala because it does change the game. While we won’t necessarily see the impact of NIL on player development right now, this could become a glaring issue over the next few years, making it something to keep tabs on at the very least.

Related: Andre Iguodala discusses the dynamics between owners and players in the NBA: "Why is a white man paying a black man this much money"