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What would you do.

Grew up in Kentucky a massive UK fan what do you do?

  • Stay at UK making NIL $$$$

    Votes: 40 57.1%
  • Go to NBA make NBA $$$$

    Votes: 30 42.9%

  • Total voters
    70
There is not enough money being thrown around in Kentucky to make him a unicorn. Maybe if there was as much support for UCLA now and he was in LA. We really only have 1 or 2 big boosters, and they are not going to just give Reed Shepperd a bunch of money just to stay. NIL wise, I compare him to Richie Farmer. If NIL was an thing, Richie could have made a bunch, especially knowing he was never going to make money playing basketball professionally. Reed can get paid playing professionally, and the NIL money that they would pay him to endorse their car lot or bank will still be there if he is playing for the Celtics. As far as the GenZ comment, I don't know the definition of generations, but I have a bunch of kids and grandkids that I hang out with and talk to daily, so maybe that is why.
So what you’re saying is we can afford to pay a coach who has trouble winning with top talent 9 million but can’t come up with the resources to get the likely front runner for poy next season say 5 million? I don’t believe it for a minute.
 
So what you’re saying is we can afford to pay a coach who has trouble winning with top talent 9 million but can’t come up with the resources to get the likely front runner for poy next season say 5 million? I don’t believe it for a minute.
"We" don't pay the coach. The University does. The University doesn't pay NIL. I'm surprised people still don't understand how this works.
 
So what you’re saying is we can afford to pay a coach who has trouble winning with top talent 9 million but can’t come up with the resources to get the likely front runner for poy next season say 5 million? I don’t believe it for a minute.
To say the "likely front runner for poy" is also unintelligent. The kid is good, but he will never be poy.
 
"We" don't pay the coach. The University does. The University doesn't pay NIL. I'm surprised people still don't understand how this works.
I understand that but resources are resources and hell why could a few former players do buisness with reed. All those billions in nba contracts?? I know you think it doesn’t make sense but there is and will be no other player with his circumstances come around perhaps ever again. If this were UNC or duke it wouldn’t even be a question. He’d be a 3 year player. Hometown hero getting paid.
 
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I understand that but resources are resources and hell why could a few former players do buisness with reed. All those billions in nba contracts?? I know you think it doesn’t make sense but there is and will be no other player with his circumstances come around perhaps ever again. If this were UNC or duke it wouldn’t even be a question. He’d be a 3 year player. Hometown hero getting paid.
Absolutey not. What 3 year player at Duke or UNC ever could have gotten paid. I appreciate your passion for UK basketball, I share it. This is not 1966. These kids grow up wanting to play in the NBA. As everyone continues to point out here, we haven't had national success since 2015, when Reed was 9 years old. So while he has always probably wanted to be a Cat, he has ambitions much higher than that. For all of us that thought playing for UK was the epitome of basketball, the times have changed. He probably doesn't remember John Wall playing at UK, which is yesterday for me.
 
If Bronny is really making that much, it has to do with being in LA and his dad being Lebron James. Everyone in the world knows who Lebron James is. If you ask 99% of basketball fans outside of this state, they have no idea who Jeff Shepperd is. LA has money, Kentucky doesn't have that much money, and what they do have they are not spending it on a 19 year old playing basketball. Do you donate to the collectives? Most on here say they never will.
Bronny is in a different stratosphere as far as social media followers.
Reed isn't in his ballpark.
That's what generates his income as he has a nationwide following.
 
Nobody is gonna turn down 30-50 million + for a season at UK and if they say they then they aren’t being realistic. Sorry but I doubt it happens. Enjoy watching him this year because if he stays projected in the lottery, that’s all folks.
 
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I realize money isn't everything, but believe me, if you can make enough of it by 25 to never have to dig a hole your entire life, you can have your beautiful wife and little children and enjoy the hell out of them, instead of leaving the house everyday at 7 and getting back home at 6 and getting to eat dinner and spend an hour or two with them before everyone goes to bed and does it all again. Most people, and I say this with all due respect, that continuously say its not about money, have never had enough money to know what it feels like to not have to worry about money. If you have, then you are being hypocritical in thinking a kid should ignore the potential financial freedom so he can come back and entertain you for another year.
Somehow, the entire point simply flew over your head. The point, yes, the point (actually there are two of them). I did not specifically point out any "point" as I did not believe I would have to. But first, one thing you mentioned that I did cover thoroughly was that I DID HAVE WELL ENOUGHT MONEY for all the needs you mentioned, and still do. I'm not a complete idiot. There is nothing wrong with having the means to support your family and provide them with comfort and security and do so as worry-free as possible.

We agree on this? Good! Now the point. Just how many millions do you need to provide that comfort and security?

I don't have any idea how much Reed could make with this NIL thing, or really exactly what it is. But whatever it is, I am almost certain he could get near the maximum possible, considering his popularity, particularly if there was a chance it could get him to stay in school for four years.

Let's just say that it is one million dollars for each year, four million dollars if he stays four years. Now Jeff and Stacey do not need his money. I am sure his basketball scholarship pays for everything he needs so he should be able to put all that money in the bank in a savings account. I could check with an accountant, but does anybody here know what the annual interest would be on 4 million when he leaves school? Of course he would already have earned some. I am almost certain it would be greater than a quarter million per year. This is far, far greater than the annual salary for the average person.

I dunno. It seems to me that anyone wanting more than this has a problem with greed.

And the other point, of course, is that MONEY CANNOT BUY YOU HAPPINESS. I know this for a fact.

The moon belongs to everyone
The best things in life are free
The stars belong to everyone
They gleam there for you and for me

The flowers in spring,
the robins that sing
The moonbeams that shine
They're yours, they're mine

And love can come to everyone
The best things in life are free
 
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Those of us who have grown up Kentucky fans I have a simple question. You’re 18, you go to play for UK on a basketball scholarship every Kentucky loving kids dream. You ball out and wow after 1 year they say you will be a top 10 pick. At the same time you know you can make comparable money by staying at your dream destination. We can all relate being UK fans. What do you do? Do you split for the nba or stay at Kentucky another year earning comparable money? Everyone know what this is about I just want to see what blue blooded hard core UK engrained fans would do. After all we are discussing a specific family with even stronger ties to our program but this isn’t about what they should do the question is what would you do?
Career ending injuries can happen in the blink of an eye. You just cannot justify not taking the opportunity to set yourself up for life financially before you even dribble a basketball in the pros. If you can get a guaranteed multiyear contract, its off you go.
 
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"We" don't pay the coach. The University does. The University doesn't pay NIL. I'm surprised people still don't understand how this works.
While not certain how it currently works, Coach Cal was at one time paid by the endorsement and package money UK got from Nike/TV. The state of Kentucky publishes the salary of every state employee. When at U of L, Pitino was the highest paid state employee. I did not see Cal/Stoops on the list.
 
As a fan it's real easy for me to say I would stay 4 years at the school I love.

But I don't have a guaranteed $14 million staring me in the face vs maybe $4-$5 million if I stay
 
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Cal is tainting this decision for me. My basic answer is that if I had that chance I would joyfully choose staying at UK four years FOR FREE —— EVEN IN THE NIL ERA rather than leave for the NBA even for a supermax contract. Maybe that’s hella selfish of me considering how many people I could help with all that money but oh well. In my opinion no money has much value if we don’t preserve certain kinds of meaning in the world and besides, I’m not a good candidate for an angel. I’m even a bit of an asshole and I’m okay with that. Besides, if I really had those realistic options available to me, then that means I would ultimately have the option of living out my dream and inspiring future generations of kids to something more lofty than money, AND still have a good shot at still getting the supermax contract after college and still helping all those people financially, so that’s what I would try to shoot for because that’s me.

But with the current trajectory Cal has our team on (past four years and most of the past nine years and most of this season, obviously not including the recent surge we’ve made)……

If that keeps up and keeps showing signs of becoming permanent, as it has been doing…..

Well, I’d still make the same decision . But I’d pretty much be doing it under protest.
 
If I knew for sure I would be a lottery pick, but at the same time bleed UK blue, I will go balls to wall to try and secure a championship for the university, the state, and all of BBN....for my one yr in school.

After that, I am gone to the NBA to begin my professional career. Simple as that.
This all day! You get NBA money which will be more than NIL.You also get NIL essentially, shoe contact, jersey sales, advertising, etc. Saying that, I would love to have sophomore Reed Shepherd
 
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The original premise is obviously wrong, since Reed Sheppard is not going to earn from NIL endorsements anything like he would make as an NBA lottery pick. And if he is high draft pick, he owes it to himself to go to the NBA. That high draft status isn't assured in the future for a variety of reasons.
 
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