John Wall Explains Why He Thinks He Would've Made $30M Per Year from NIL in New Video

Former NBA star and Kentucky standout John Wall explained why he believes that he would earn $30 million per year from Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals if he was currently back in college.

"30," Wall said during a Wednesday appearance on the Off the Bench podcast. "I had a dance. I had a song. I was marketable, handsome. I gotta get all type of deals right now, it's up in the air.

"Because I'm looking at it like this, right? I think the shooter that came from Iowa State that just committed, I think he got $6.5, $7 million. He's a junior about to be a senior. I'm coming in, name one player in the country with all this hype around me. It gotta be more than that."

Wall generated plenty of attention for his flashy dunks and impressive athleticism in high school, as he was listed as the No. 1 point guard and No. 2 overall player in the 2009 recruiting class (via 247Sports' composite rankings).

He continued to excel during his lone year with the Wildcats, averaging 16.6 points, 6.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 46.1 percent from the field.

Still, $30 million is a bold prediction considering BYU standout forward AJ Dybantsa signed an NIL deal reportedly worth close to $7 million ahead of his freshman year. Dybantsa was the No. 1 player in the 2025 recruiting class, per 247Sports' composite.

Kentucky has shown a willingness to spend in order to acquire talent in the NIL era, though.

The Wildcats landed former Iowa State forward Milan Momcilovic in the transfer portal on June 1. Momcilovic's NIL deal with Kentucky was worth "north" of $6 million, according to Adam Zagoria of the New York Times.

Wall believes that he could have received much more.