Purdue center Zach Edey (15) and guard Lance Jones (55) celebrate Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK

Zach Edey Tops NIL Store Charts in 2024, Braden Smith, Lance Jones Land in Top-5

Originally posted on Purdue Boilermakers on SI
By Dustin Schutte | Last updated Jan 8, 2025 6:13 PM ET

Zach Edey ended 2024 with one more victory. The former Purdue basketball star and current member of the Memphis Grizzlies was the top-selling male athlete of the year at the NIL Store. Teammates Braden Smith, Lance Jones and Mason Gillis also cracked the top-10.

When the calendar turned to January, the NIL Store revealed its top-10 male athletes of 2024. Edey was at the No. 1 spot after having another stellar year.

Edey won a second consecutive National Player of the Year honor, becoming the first college basketball player to win the award in back-to-back years since Ralph Sampson (1981-83, Virgina). He also guided the Boilers to a second straight Big Ten regular season title and the program's first National Championship Game appearance since 1969.

The 7-foot-4 center averaged 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 2.0 assists per game.

Our top earning male athletes of 2024!

Who will top the list in 2025? pic.twitter.com/BraEJoiBk0
— The NIL Store (@nil_store) January 3, 2025

But Edey wasn't the only Boilermaker to have success in 2024. Smith ranked third in sales among male athletes and Jones finished in fourth. Gillis, who transferred from Purdue to Duke in the 2024 offseason, was listed at No. 6.

Smith ended last season averaging 12.0 points and 7.5 assists per game. So far in the 2024-25 campaign, the junior guard is averaging 15.4 points, 8.6 assists and 4.8 rebounds per contest.

In his lone season in West Lafayette, Jones averaged 12.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. He provided Purdue with a secondary ball-handler and a playmaker.

Gillis closed out his Purdue career by being named the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year in 2024. He came off the bench and posted 6.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per contest.

Purdue ended 2024 as the top-selling school at the NIL Store, an impressive accomplishment. The NIL Store represents nearly 100 colleges, and the Boilermakers had the top-performing male athletes for the year.

This article first appeared on Purdue Boilermakers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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