Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway says he puts $2.6 million of his own salary into the program’s NIL revenue-sharing budget, as the Tigers seek to improve roster building under the modern college basketball compensation model. Multiple outlets report Hardaway discusses the payment in an interview, tying it to Memphis increasing its overall NIL spending.
The reports describe the broader context as an approximately $9 million revenue-sharing effort and note Hardaway’s season salary. The different articles vary slightly in wording—some frame the contribution as coming from his “own salary” and others describe it as revenue sharing from his “own money”—but they align on the same core figures: Hardaway’s $2.6 million contribution and the program’s larger budget target. CBS also characterizes the move as part of a broader trend of coaches donating back to support team NIL compensation.
All accounts place Hardaway as entering his ninth season at Memphis and include his background as a former Tigers player and NBA star.
