Former Chicago Bulls and Florida Gators coach Billy Donovan had a mouthful to say about NIL in college athletics.
Former Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan led the Florida Gators to two NCAA Division-I men's basketball titles before leaving for the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015-16.
Donovan coached five seasons with the Thunder before joining the Chicago Bulls in 2020-2021, with whom he spent six seasons compiling an underwhelming .469 winning percentage.
Donovan's NBA coaching record now stands at 469 wins and 413 losses, but the college basketball landscape still has his attention based on choice comments about the transfer portal, NIL (Name, Image and Likeness), and other topics of interest.
Jan 7, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan argues with referee Michael Smith (38) during a timeout against the Detroit Pistons in the second quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images Donovan Questions NIL Era
Donovan questioned the NIL era in one key way in comments made to Josh Chambers of Maryland Men's Basketball.
"The one thing that I don't like about NIL is, I have always felt that you guys, while you're in college, should be taken care of with the amount of money that gets generated through athletics. So I think we're all in agreement on that. Probably should have happened a long time ago," Donovan, who coached future NBA players Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer and others, said.
"My issue with NIL is I think you're teaching kids a really, really bad precedent. That you can go over here and make this amount of money, and then you're not happy and pick up and go somewhere else."
NBA contracts are typically different, Donovan pointed out.
"When you go to the NBA, you take a job and you sign a contract. You're under contract. And I just don't know much that's (transfer portal) helping guys."
Pro Sports vs. College Sports
The pro sports vs. college sports game was also discussed by Donovan.
"What happens if one of these guys does get drafted, whether it be in the NFL, the NBA, and they sign a four-year deal and they're not happy in the situation, not getting ready to play? They can't leave," he added.
"I think that you've got to be able to work your way through some adversity and difficulty sometimes to find out a little more about yourself. The way it's set up, there's no resiliency of going through anything that's difficult and tough in life."
Donovan added a qualifying statement about the difference between the pro and college systems. His experience at both major levels of basketball gives him a unique perspective on the way contracts are handled.
"I'm not begrudging anybody for making anything financially. But when you get into the real world and you sign contracts, you're going to have to be responsible to those to a certain extent.
