Texas Longhorns guard Andrew Jones announced Friday plans to use NIL earnings towards funding cancer research in a partnership with the V Foundation for Cancer Research. Jones will give 10 cents of every NIL dollar he receives to the foundation.
Jones, who was diagnosed with Leukemia in Jan. 2018, went through an eight-month process of chemotherapy before making it back to the court that same year in a game against Eastern Illinois on Nov. 6.
“The money donated to the V Foundation played a major part not only in my ability to receive proper treatment but maintain confidence in both my recovery and eventual return to basketball,” Jones said. “To be able to share my story on how this foundation has impacted my life while paying that forward to future families impacted by cancer is an honor. ”
His return to the court was a powerful one, as the Irving, TX native got his first points back on a free throw and received a huge standing ovation from the home crowd at the Erwin Center.
“We are thrilled to have the support of Andrew in our mission to fund game-changing cancer research,” Jeremy Jones, Director of Brand & Influencer Partnerships for the V Foundation said. “He will be a pioneer and role model for the future of collegiate NIL nonprofit partnerships.”
This season, Jones is Texas' third-leading scorer (10.1 points) while playing 24.8 minutes per game. He's currently averaging a career-high 1.3 steals per game through the first 20 games.
After coming off a resounding 73-50 win over TCU on Tuesday, the Longhorns (15-5, 5-3 in Big 12) play host to No. 18 Tennessee (14-5, 5-3 in SEC) on Saturday night in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. The tipoff is at 7 p.m. C.T.
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