Actually Jack Nicholson or Leo or whoever could in fact give LeBron or whoever money to sign for less with the Lakers than somewhere else. It would be a gift and it would be taxable.PhDhawk wrote: ↑Sat Apr 30, 2022 2:51 pmRight, we can all discuss how awful the ncaa is and all the mistakes it's made until we're blue in the face.pdub wrote: ↑Sat Apr 30, 2022 2:39 pm I think Darren's head is in the sand like several here.
They actually think Tshweibwe and Nigel Pack are getting money because of publicity.
If those players had decided not to attend those schools, those contracts would never have happened. It's not about publicity.
If you want to argue about whether these players should get paid by boosters or companies with connections to the school TO ATTEND THAT SCHOOL then enter the arena. Otherwise stop pretending it actually has to do with NIL.
But the fact is, that created a well oiled infrastructure of boosters, donations, bribes, etc. that doesn't exist ANYWHERE else. The Lakers can't go to Jack Nicholson asking for a donation to build a new hall of fame, nor can they ask Leonardo dicaprio to put LeBron in a movie for a $15 million cameo as a way to get around salary cap restrictions....but that's essentially what we have and is currently happening in college sports.
Leo could say "hey bron, i know the knicks are offering you 20mil this year, and the lakers can only give you 18mil, but if you stay with the Lakers i will gift you 2mil."
That's not against the law or against NBA salary cap because Leo is not affiliated with the Lakers.