The approval of the House-NCAA settlement, which allows universities to pay their athletes directly, is obviously a monumental shift in the makeup of college athletics. However, this settlement can also benefit past players. A part of this settlement allows for the back pay of former college athletes who didn’t receive any financial benefits based on name, image, and likeness, dating back to 2016.
From ESPN: “The NCAA will pay nearly $2.8 billion in back damages over the next 10 years to athletes who competed in college at any time from 2016 through present day. Moving forward, each school can pay its athletes up to a certain limit.
Let’s take a look at which Duke basketball players deserve the most back pay going back to 2016.
5. Marvin Bagley III
Bagley III, the No. 1 overall recruit coming out of high school, was one of the most dominant big men in college hoops during his lone season in Durham. In one season with the Blue Devils, the 6’10 power forward averaged a double-double with 21.0 points and 11.1 rebounds a contest, taking home the 2018 ACC Player of the Year and ACC Rookie of the Year award. He was also a finalist for the Wooden Award as a freshman and led Duke to an Elite 8 appearance, where the Blue Devils would fall to Kansas. Bagley was seen as a surefire prospect heading into the 2018 NBA Draft, where he was selected second overall by the Sacramento Kings. His NBA career didn’t pan out as well as his time in college, but the athletic big certainly deserves some back pay after his performance in one year with Duke.
4. Wendell Moore Jr.
Moore spent three seasons with Duke as a consistent piece in the rotation, but really broke out as a full-time starter in his junior season with the Blue Devils, serving as the veteran leader for the Blue Devils’ Final Four run in Coach K’s final season. Moore averaged 13.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.4 steals a game for Duke as a third-year player on 50% shooting from the field, 41.3% shooting from three-point range, and 80.5% shooting from the free throw line. The 6’5 wing contributed to winning in every way possible. The Blue Devils made it to the ACC Tournament Championship game in Moore’s junior year as well as the Final Four appearance against UNC. Moore took home the Julius Erving award as a junior, which goes to the best small forward in college basketball, along with All-ACC Defensive Team and Second Team All-ACC honors. He went on to be selected with the 26th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
3. Grayson Allen
Allen was one of the most beloved Blue Devils of all time during his four years in Durham. He felt like a reborn Christian Laettner, kind of a dirty player, so if you were a fan of any other team than Duke, you hated him, but if you were a Blue Devil fan, you absolutely loved him. After breaking onto the scene in the NCAA Tournament as a rookie during Duke’s 2015 national championship run, Allen kept the momentum going to build a storied four-year career with the Blue Devils from 2014-2018. Through his career, Allen averaged 14.1 points and three assists on 43% shooting from the floor and 38% shooting from beyond the perimeter. The Jacksonville, FL native helped the Blue Devils to an Elite 8 run as a senior, where he narrowly missed a shot at the buzzer to take down Kansas in regulation. Duke fans will never forget Allen’s passion and energy throughout his four years with Duke, and he certainly deserves some back pay after his four years of greatness.
2. Kyle Filipowski
Filipowski stole the hearts of Duke fans after announcing a return for a sophomore season when he would’ve been a likely first rounder in the 2023 NBA Draft. Filipowski was one of the best freshmen in college hoops, earning ACC Rookie of the Year honors and Second Team All-ACC. And this was before Filipowski could’ve made $2 million or $3 million to return to Duke and potentially make more than he would on an NBA rookie deal based on his draft status, making this decision much more heartfelt to the Blue Devil faithful. After a Round of 32 exit in Filipowski’s rookie year, he led the Blue Devils to an Elite 8 as a sophomore, averaging 16.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.1 steals a game on 50.5% shooting from the floor. Filipowski went on to be a Second Team All-American in 2024 and was selected 32nd overall by the Utah Jazz in the 2024 NBA Draft.
1. Zion Williamson
No one else can go in this spot besides Zion after he put together possibly the most electric freshman campaign in the history of college basketball. Before Williamson got to Durham, there had never been a college prospect like him. A 6’7, 265-pound big who was faster than everyone else on the court, could jump higher than everyone else, and was quite literally unstoppable most of the time. Williamson averaged 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.8 blocks, and 1.2 steals a game in his lone season for Duke on 68% shooting from the floor. He led Duke to an ACC Tournament Championship and an Elite 8 appearance as the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament alongside RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish. Williamson won ACC Player of the Year and ACC Rookie of the Year honors, the Karl Malone Award, given to the best power forward in college basketball, and became the third freshman ever to win the Wooden Award, en route to being selected No. 1 overall in the 2019 NBA Draft.
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