Here’s how much KU basketball earned in NIL money from Players Era Tournament
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kansas earned $300,000 in NIL for third place at the Players Era Tournament.
- Michigan won the tournament and received $1,000,000 in NIL compensation.
- Seth Berger said teams average over $1,000,000 in NIL and must perform activations.
After a chaotic finish, the Kansas Jayhawks walked away victorious from Wednesday’s Players Era Tournament showdown against the Tennessee Volunteers on Wednesday night.
KU earned not only the third-place finish, but a hefty cash prize: Kansas was awarded $300,000 in NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) compensation. Tennessee earned $200,000 for finishing fourth.
Seth Berger, the CEO of the Players Era Festival, said that all 18 teams in this year’s Players Era event will receive “over $1 million on average” in NIL funds.
The biggest winner is Michigan, who won the tournament late Wednesday night. The Wolverines earned $1 million in NIL compensation, while Gonzaga earned $500,000 for its second-place finish.
“With the NIL opportunities, the kids actually have to perform activations, marketing services, social media postings, and so we make sure that each kid, each athlete is meeting fair-market value for that,” Berger told media in Las Vegas. “And again, it’s in excess of a million dollars on average per team.”
This story was originally published November 26, 2025 at 10:52 PM with the headline "Here’s how much KU basketball earned in NIL money from Players Era Tournament."
