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JT Toppin will be returning to Texas Tech in the 2025-26 season. The 6-foot-9 forward had the opportunity to join the NBA Draft class, but he’s putting those professional pursuits on hold for at least one year longer.
The decision will actually prove lucrative for Toppin thanks to the introduction of NIL. He’ll make more money as a college basketball player than he would as a pro.
Toppin was the best player on a Red Raiders team that reached the Elite Eight. The Lone Star State native, who’d previously suited up for New Mexico, averaged team highs in points (18.2 ppg) and rebounds (9.4 rpg).
The sophomore was named Big 12 Player of the Year due to that production. He was a unanimous first-team all-conference selection.
The belief was that his college career ended when Texas Tech was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament. Most thought he’d enter the NBA Draft with first-round status. That won’t be the case.
JT Toppin announced his decision to return on social media Wednesday. He’ll be back in Lubbock next year.
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His reasoning for that return was made public soon after the announcement. Details about Toppin’s expected NIL package with the Red Raiders surfaced online.
Texas Tech will pay JT Toppin $4 million to play basketball next season.
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The number is notable on a couple of different levels. One, it’s enormous, especially considering NIL wasn’t a thing just a few short years ago. Secondly, it actually outmatches his projected NBA rookie salary.
Real GM lists estimations for NBA Draft slot values on its website. It’s laid out the 2025-26 rookie scale looking ahead to the upcoming selection process.
NBA.com predicts JT Toppin will go 28th overall to the Boston Celtics. That 28th pick comes with a $2.1 million salary. NBA rookies have the option to negotiate up to 120% of that initial price. That would balloon the starting salary to just over $2.5 million.
His reported NIL agreement with Texas Tech blows that total out of the water. Toppin is going to make $4 million as 20-year-old sophomore. It sounds bizarre, but it made his decision to return to college all the easier!
With those financial pros also come cons. Toppin will now have to wait another year before hitting his second NBA contract. He also risks injury without the security of a pro deal.
Still, barring unforeseen circumstances, JT Toppin will be an NBA player in the very near future. In the meantime, he’s hoping to lead the Red Raiders to a national title. NIL made that possible.
With another big season, he can boost that NBA Draft stock for 2026. If all goes well, it could turn out to be a win-win.
Red Raiders billionaire booster Cody Campbell is to thank.
The former Texas Tech offensive lineman has played a large role in recruiting efforts for both the football and basketball programs over the last few years. He likely played a large role in Toppin’s decision, too.
Texas Tech billioniare Cody Campbell is the new Phil Knight/Boone Pickens.
I can’t imagine any school has spent more NIL money in the past year, across all sports. https://t.co/kNqRdLk36u
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) April 9, 2025
Campbell co-founded Double Eagle Energy Holdings, an oil and gas company based in Fort Worth. He sold that company this past February for an estimated $4.08 billion.
He’s also the founder of the Matador Club, Texas Tech’s NIL collective, which helped him bankroll a Texas Tech transfer portal haul that ranked Top 5 in college football at a $10 million price tag. He’s now making a difference in the basketball program, too.
“We have to continue treating college athletics like a business. Now, more than ever, it is a business. We have to make good investments and be good stewards of the resources that we have.”
-Cody Cambell via 247 Sports
JT Toppin has the option to return because of his school’s billionaire booster. He’ll make more as a sophomore than as an NBA rookie. Cody Campbell is treating college sports like a business in hopes of bringing national titles to Lubbock. That outlook has paid off thus far.