Armando Bacot, who played basketball at the University of North Carolina for five years, said he received “over $2 million” in NIL compensation. “It's crazy to make over $2 million just from college,” he said. Some would agree. Bacot, who went undrafted, signed a minimum-salary contract with the Utah Jazz, essentially taking a pay cut.
Miscellaneous thoughts: College athletes make a lot of money, so is it too much to ask of them to pay for their own tuition? Assuming they're attending classes.
Star Treatment: The Lakers' No. 9 jersey worn by the 55th pick in the NBA Draft is on sale now, along with his father's jersey. Do we really need to ask how many other players selected late in the second round got their professional jerseys online before the game? So, it makes you wonder when Nike will give Bronny James a signature shoe.
Family Dynamics: Are we supposed to believe that if his father, LeBron, had advised his 19-year-old son to go back to school, he would not have done so?
difference: The Caitlin Clark effect was on display again when fan voting for the WNBA All-Star game increased by nearly 600 percent this year.
I am wondering: Am I any less of an American patriot because I don't lose sleep over the U.S. losing to Uruguay in the Copa America?
Numbers Game: Would a U.S. loss hurt more because Uruguay's population of 3.4 million is tiny compared to the U.S.'s 340 million? Of course not. All Uruguay has is soccer. All the U.S. has is pickleball.
Ballin: Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson is a young star who, in addition to his hitting and defensive talent, jumps off the plate and tries to turn singles into doubles, as too many big leaguers do.
All about him: Aaron Judge is having a Triple Crown season halfway through and is on his way to winning the AL MVP award if he stays healthy.
rise: The Red Sox are stronger than anyone thought and are a strong wild card contender.
Magical Memory: Norfolk State's 2011-12 men's basketball team was a great choice for induction into the Hall of Fame. By defeating No. 2 seed Missouri, the Spartans created a special moment that can only be created early in the NCAA Tournament.
Wrong audience: A changed and weakened Sports Illustrated magazine is trying to annoy me, a longtime reader, by publishing an article in their latest issue about “breaking” (as it used to be called, breakdancing) as an Olympic sport in Paris. This annoyance is unnecessary.
Today's Hoops: In fairness, 3v3 basketball is another new Olympic sport that seems pretty boring to me.
Future highlights: The 34-year-old Klay Thompson who signed with the Mavericks isn't the player he was before he tore his ACL and Achilles tendon, but Dallas is getting a player who scored an NBA-record 37 points in a quarter during his prime with the Warriors. He's also shown he's a capable spot-up shooter, scoring 60 points in a third quarter on 11 dribbles. The Mavericks could do very well with Thompson catching passes from Luka Doncic on the perimeter.
anniversary: On July 1, long-retired Bobby Bonilla received his 14th installment of $1,193,248.20 from the Mets. He has 11 more payments due.
Bob Molinaro is a former sports columnist for The Virginian-Pilot. His weekly briefings appear in the Pilot and Daily Press on Fridays. He can be reached at bob5molinaro@gmail.com or on Twitter@BobMolinaro.