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The UCLA basketball roster is one of the richest in the sport this 2025-26 season. Houston’s is not, according to head coach Kelvin Sampson.
The Cougars‘ leader cried poor to the media during a recent postgame presser. Mick Cronin opted to share some of his wealth after hearing the rant.
Kelvin Sampson reveals that after his comments about Houston’s athletic department last week, Mick Cronin Venmo’d him $1:
“He said yo man, I heard your presser. I’d like to help, so here’s one dollar” 😂😂
🎥: https://t.co/Zdh8RLR44i pic.twitter.com/5JxNIEWG5w
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) February 16, 2026
In an interview with Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68, Sampson revealed that Cronin had recently sent him a Venmo payment of $1.00.
“He said, ‘Yo man, I heard your presser and I’d like to help, so here’s one dollar,'” Sampson said of the sarcastic gesture.
That payment came days after Sampson complained about his school’s NIL support.
Houston basketball is poor.
“We were poor when I got here and we’re still poor,” Sampson said after a recent win over UCF. “We probably have the lowest budget of anybody in Power Four.
“The way our recruiting is going, we have to stop at some point because we don’t have the money to keep bringing in many good players. And that’s not easy for us to do.”
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson gets into money challenges his elite program still faces: “We’re still poor. We probably have the lowest budget of anybody in Power 4. The way our recruiting is going, we’re going to have to stop it at some point because we don’t have enough money.” pic.twitter.com/wgJLjKolwv
— Chris Baldwin (@ChrisYBaldwin) February 5, 2026
Kelvin Sampson believes he has the lowest budget of anyone in the Big 12, and maybe in the Power 4. UCLA’s head coach doesn’t have that issue.
Mick Cronin has money to blow.
The Bruins‘ current roster is said to clear $8 million in overall investment. The lineup boasts one of the sport’s most expensive players in Donovan Dent.
Cronin can afford the $1.00 charity. He’s here to help everyone get on the same playing field. Earlier this month, he was heard speaking on a conference rival’s financial disadvantage.
“There’s haves and have-nots in the money world,” he said after a win over Rutgers. “Coach Pikiell is really a great coach. It’s just a shame we don’t have a salary cap, and everyone was playing even. But this is baseball, not the NFL.”
With that push for competitive balance being said, he’s continuing to use his expensive lineup to his full advantage.
UCLA is 17-8 this year and appears headed for another NCAA Tournament invite. It would represent Cronin’s fifth ticket to the Big Dance in the last six seasons. One of those includes a Final Four with two other trips ending in the Sweet 16.
Houston, meanwhile, made the national championship game this past season. Kelvin Sampson still says the program is poor. Cronin is doing his part to keep the Cougars afloat.