10 Richest College Basketball Players Entering 2025-26 Season

College athletes are looking to cash in in the new age of NIL and the transfer portal. Basketball stars are no different.

A number of highly rated players hold NIL valuations of more than $1 million as we enter the 2025-26 NCAA season. Those contributors include incoming freshmen, transfer additions, and seasoned veterans that have established success as program staples.

Here, we’ll take a look at some of those players to give a background on the paths to their current schools, an outlook on the future, and a glimpse into their growing wealth.

Highest paid college basketball players.

These 10 stars have taken different routes, but they’ve each ended with lucrative NIL deals. All rank among the Top 50 most highly paid college athletes, regardless of sport.

Some are earning their final paychecks before moving onto the NBA. Others might cash in a year or two longer. Let’s break the list down, starting with a newcomer in Los Angeles.

Donovan Dent

NIL Valuation: $1.5 million

Dent spent three seasons at New Mexico, leading the Lobos to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances. As a junior, he paced the Mountain West Conference in scoring at a 20.4-point clip.

The guard entered the transfer portal after the ’24 campaign. He was considered one of the top options at his position, leading to interest from the likes of Kentucky and UCLA.

Dent signed with the Bruins in the offseason. He will finish out his college career in Los Angeles to the tune of a $1.5 million payday.

Labaron Philon

NIL Valuation: $1.5 million

Philon is in Year 2 at Alabama after helping the Crimson Tide reach an Elite Eight as a freshman. He averaged 10.6 points per contest while dishing out 3.8 assists.

The guard was once considered a four-star recruit and Top 50 high school basketball prospect. A year later, he’s one of college hoops’ highest paid players.

Philon’s role is expected to grow as a sophomore in Tuscaloosa. As a result, his paycheck will, too.

Josh Dix

NIL Valuation: $1.5 million

Dix is a senior guard that’s in his first season with a new program. The former Hawkeye left Iowa City after the departure of head coach Fran McCaffery.

He’s since landed at Creighton where he looks to make immediate waves in the Big East. He should bring major offensive firepower to the Bluejays’ scoring attack.

Dix averaged 14.4 points per game as a junior. He was the team’s second-leading scorer. His move to Creighton has proven lucrative with an NIL valuation coming in at $1.5 million.

Braden Smith

NIL Valuation: $1.6 million

Smith is another seasoned veteran that’s been around the Big Ten for years. Unlike the man mentioned before him, he plans on staying with his school.

The guard has started more than 110 games with the Purdue Boilermakers over the last 3+ seasons. He earned First-Team All-America honors as a junior last year.

Smith averaged a career-high 15.8 points per game last year, adding another threat to his already deadly arsenal. He’s also led the Big Ten in assists each of the last two seasons.

Purdue is paying him handsomely in hopes of making another postseason run. Smith’s NIL deals are valued at $1.6 million.

Bennett Stirtz

NIL Valuation: $1.7 million

Stirtz is a Big Ten newcomer that followed his head coach from Drake to Iowa. With the Hawkeyes, he’s expected to make an immediate impact.

The veteran guard was a scoring machine last season with the Bulldogs, averaging just under 20 points a night. When Ben McCollum was hired on to replace Fran McCaffery, Stirtz was given the opportunity to transfer.

McCollum knows what he’s getting in his senior guard. Stirtz has proven to be successful in the coach’s offensive scheme. Knowing his importance to the team’s future success, the program opened up the checkbook.

Darryn Peterson

NIL Valuation: $1.9 million

Not long ago, Peterson was playing high school ball in California. Rated as the nation’s top overall prospect in the 2025 recruiting cycle, he signed on to play for Bill Self at Kansas.

The guard weighed his options before inking his deal with the Jayhawks. Peterson took also official visits to Kansas State, Ohio State, and USC.

He landed in Lawrence where he expects to be a star. He is already a frontrunner to be selected No. 1 overall in the 2026 NBA Draft as a one-and-done player. He should rake in some dough before making that jump to the pros.

Cameron Boozer

NIL Valuation: $2.1 million

Boozer is another potential one-and-done prospect that committed to Duke as a five-star recruit. The son of former NBA star Carlos Boozer, he is expected to follow in his father’s footsteps to the league.

First, he’ll be a Blue Devil. He signed with the ACC program over the likes of Miami and reigning national champion Florida.

He plans to see plenty of opportunity to cash in both on and off the court with an NIL valuation of more than $2 million. Not bad for an 18-year-old freshman!

Yaxel Lendeborg

NIL Valuation: $2.3 million

Lendeborg brings us back to the veterans as he suits up for his senior season. The big man moved from UAB to Michigan, spurning the NBA Draft for an NCAA payday.

Lendeborg played at JUCO before spending two years with the Blazers. In both, he led the conference in rebounding while being named a two-time Defensive Player of the Year.

The production had many believing he’d be a late first-round draft pick. Michigan decided to match his expected professional payout. In return, the Wolverines received a proven post presence that averaged 17.7 points a night.

JT Toppin

NIL Valuation: $3 million

Like Lendeborg, Toppin was viewed as a first-round NBA Draft pick after wrapping up his 2024-25 season. He, too, spurned the pros for a college NIL deal.

Toppin started his career at New Mexico. He moved onto Texas Tech as a sophomore. In his second year with the Red Raiders, he averaged 18.2 points and 9.4 boards per game to earn Big XII Player of the Year honors.

Texas Tech opened up its wallet to keep Toppin in Lubbock. His NIL valuation sits at $3 million.

AJ Dybantsa

NIL Valuation: $4.4 million

Dybantsa is the highest paid athlete in college sports. The freshman forward holds an NIL valuation of $4.4 million.

He received a deal from BYU reported to fall somewhere in the $4-7 million range as a high school prospect. Like the two other freshmen on this list, he was considered a five-star talent and the best player at his position.

Now, he will attempt to lead the Cougars to their first ever Final Four and national championship. He will be paid handsomely to do so!