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NC State has become the darling of this year’s March Madness field. Not expected to sniff the Big Dance, the Wolfpack made an incredible run through the ACC Tournament to land an 11-seed.
Since, they’ve won back-to-back games to keep momentum alive. Forward DJ Burns is a big reason why!
The Winthrop transfer has shined when his team needed him most, posting double figures in each of the Wolfpack’s seven postseason contests. That includes dropping 24 points in his most recent outing against Oakland.
In the process, he’s become a college basketball sensation.
NC State fans were loud and proud this past weekend in Pittsburgh, erupting every time he touched the ball.
The crowd loves DJ Burns Jr. 😤 @PackMensBball pic.twitter.com/ItFP3gg1la
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 22, 2024
His incredible play helped the Wolfpack book a ticket to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2015.
As he prepares for a Friday matchup with Marquette, he’s making rounds with sports media – recently informing listeners of a little-known side hustle.
He apparently owns two vending machines as a way of making some dough off the court!
The 260-pound big man sat down with the Pardon My Take crew to talk about that venture on Monday.
NC States DJ Burns owns vending machines as a side hustle pic.twitter.com/3WNiv48OV3
— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) March 25, 2024
“I own a few [vending machines]. I have two myself,” the forward said.
“There’s a guy who played at Auburn named Josh Dollard. He’s from the Charlotte area, and we used to train with this trainer named Gabe Blair… I was just talking to him about some things at Winthrop, and we were just talking about ways to make money outside of basketball so you’re not one-dimensional as a person.
“That was one of the things he showed me, and I took after it.”
This side hustle seems to have developed before his jump to NC State, where’s he’s become the “NIL King” according to head coach Kevin Keatts.
Those money-making opportunities include both traditional partnerships with local businesses and television commercial cameos.
A true businessman!
DJ Burns is thriving with NC State, and he’s looking to close out his college basketball career with a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
The Wolfpack has made it this far. An Elite Eight appearance is on the line next.