On Sunday, a viral post indicated that top-ranked 2028 recruit AJ Williams has committed to Duke and signed an NIL deal worth $4.8 million.
Williams is still two years away from playing college basketball, but the post indicated that the Blue Devils will be paying him throughout his junior and senior years of high school. Let’s break down the truth behind the viral post.
Did Duke Actually Sign AJ Williams to a $4.8 NIL Deal?
The post came from the account @ShaneTuttleNCAA, which shared a post on X claiming that Williams had agreed to a two-year deal with Duke that would compensate him before he even arrived on campus.
“NEWS: No. 1 player in the 2028 class, AJ Williams, has agreed to a two-year, $4.8M NIL deal with Duke, sources tell me. The deal will compensate the 16-year-old during his junior and senior years of high school before enrolling in college,” the account wrote on X.
However, there is no truth to the post, as this is a satire account. The bio for the account is: “Everything I do is Satire.” However, many believed the report to be true given the current state of college basketball and NIL deals.
Five-time NBA champion Ron Harper, who was part of the iconic Chicago Bulls dynasty alongside Michael Jordan, was among those who believed the post and commented on it.
“Sports are out of control for sure.. but get that money 💰if you can,” he wrote.
Sports are out of control for sure.. but get that money 💰if you can
— Ron Harper (@HARPER04_5) May 3, 2026
In addition to being a former NBA player who suited up for the Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Los Angeles Clippers, Harper also has two sons who currently play in the league: San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper and Boston Celtics forward Ron Harper Jr.
Harper isn’t wrong that college sports have gotten out of control, so he likely just assumed this is the next evolution of the NIL era. But, again, there is no truth to the original post, even if high school athletes in some states are allowed to sign NIL deals, albeit under very strict guidelines.
The NIL era has had an enormous impact on college basketball, with teams having more spending power than ever to attract players. This has led to more players entering the transfer portal each year, and it also led to just 71 players declaring for the NBA Draft this year — the fewest players to enter the draft since 2003.
