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The 2015 NBA Draft will turn former college and overseas basketball players into instant millionaires. The players' earning potential is not limited by the amount of money guaranteed by their respective rookie contracts. Opportunities off the court will arise for those selected in the NBA Draft, which can oftentimes carry big price tags. In fact, many players destined to be drafted have already begun exploiting their earning potential by engaging in paid opportunities before they are even a part of the NBA.
With the assistance of Thuzio, which maintains a large and comprehensive commercial profile database for thousands of current and former athletes, I present to you a "by the numbers" list that highlights the earning power of this year's NBA Draft rookie class.
1 and 2: The Harrison brothers of Kentucky are top two in the 2015 NBA Draft when it comes to Twitter followers, which oftentimes translates into off-court money making opportunities. Aaron is the most popular NBA Draft prospect on Twitter with over 161,000 followers while his brother, Andrew is the 2nd most popular with over 157,000 followers. Each of the brothers command around $4,000 for a sponsored tweet.
8.5: NBA Draft prospect Devin Booker has 8.5 times the number of people following him on Twitter as the population of his hometown of Moss Point, Mississippi. His total number of Twitter followers is 111,000+.
75%: The percentage of Twitter followers of players that were in this year's Final Four of the NCAA Men's Tournament as compared to all Twitter followers for those players projected to be selected in the 2015 NBA Draft.
77%: The percentage of Instagram followers of players that were in this year's Final Four of the NCAA Men's Tournament as compared to all Instagram followers for those players projected to be selected in the 2015 NBA Draft.
$6,500: Roughly the amount of money that Bobby Portis commands for a 2-hour appearance, which is twice as much money as what former Arkansas player Ronnie Brewer commands.
$10,000: The amount of money demanded by Tyus Jones, Most Outstanding Player (MOP) of the 2015 Final Four, for appearances. That is more money than last year's MOP (Shabazz Napier) commanded per appearance.
$12,275: The average price for a 2-hour appearance by a player who participated in the 2015 Final Four.
Darren Heitner is a lawyer and the Founder of South Florida-based HEITNER LEGAL, P.L.L.C., which has a focus on Sports Law and Entertainment Law.
