Armando Bacot reveals how much NIL money he made during his UNC basketball career

The world of NIL has drastically changed the lives of student-athletes across the country.

Players, such as Armando Bacot, finally had the opportunity to profit from their Name, Image & Likeness. For Bacot, being at a prestigious program such as North Carolina certainly had its perks, but when you become a UNC basketball star, you tend to benefit even more from it.

On a recent episode of Tidal League's "Run Your Race Podcast," hosted by fellow UNC basketball alum Theo Pinson, Bacot was asked about the world of NIL and how much he made off it.

You might be surprised just how much money he ended up making as a Tar Heel.

"I had no clue. I didn't know what I was doing. You go from [making no money] to being a millionaire fast. It was crazy. We didn't realize it. I made $2+ million. I'm saying that humbly, though. That speaks of the brand at North Carolina. If I didn't go to North Carolina, I wouldn't have been doing those deals at Turbo Tax and others."

This "life changing" money that Bacot talks about is in the millions, as he stated he earned over $2 million dollars since NIL rules were put in place midway through his UNC basketball career. He credits his NIL success to North Carolina, as he gave the university credit for putting him in a position to land some top-flight endorsement deals.

"To recruits, if you go to Carolina and you handle business and you go out there and play and be somewhat marketable, it pays. I could never say a bad word about (North) Carolina. I got life-changing money. I am from Richmond, Virginia, I got life-changing money in college just off playing basketball. That's why I am forever grateful to Carolina and the brand. To make over $2 million just in college is crazy."

Bacot also provided some wisdom for future recruits, as he advised them that they can have the same success both on the court and in the NIL world by going to North Carolina. As Bacot can attest, when you handle business on the court, the rest will take care of itself.

Over his five-year UNC basketball career, Bacot became the face of the program both at the end of the Roy Williams era and the beginning of the Hubert Davis era. Bacot led the Tar Heels to a national championship appearance in 2022, a run that featured wins in Coach K's final regular season home game and the final game of his Hall of Fame coaching career in the Elite 8.

Bacot, like others who elected to use their fifth season of eligibility, recieved criticism from many regarding their decision to stay in college another season. After hearing the amount of NIL money that Armando Bacot earned during his career, a lot of people are eating their words.

Could you blame Bacot (or any other upperclassmen) for taking advantage of the opportunity to earn a ton of money while earning a college degree in the process?

I, for one, can give you 2 million reasons why Bacot certainly made the right choice to stick around Chapel Hill.