Why are college basketball big men paid more than guards?

By McKinley Malbrough III, J.D., MS-HRM · Certified WNBA player agent · Former certified NBA agent

Published October 31, 2026. Last updated October 31, 2026.

This guide separates what is reported about college basketball pay by position from what is guessed. The price figures come from CBS Sports. The explanations come from named analysts and are labeled as theirs. The reliability of the numbers themselves is covered in the guide to reported NIL figures, and the news summary is in the post on the CBS tiers.

How much more do college basketball big men get paid than guards?

CBS Sports reports that numerous teams entered free agency with $4 million set aside for a star center, and that it was not enough, per CBS Sports. Many of the best big men earned close to a $5 million payday, per CBS Sports. Elite guards and wings usually commanded a price that encroached on $4 million, per the same report.

By simple subtraction that is a gap near $1 million at the top of each market. That is a rough comparison of two descriptions, not a measured average. A separate estimate points the same way: a coaches poll that analyst Jeff Goodman approximated put elite portal big men at "at least a million more than guards or wings," per EvanMiya.

Notice the words used: star, best and elite. These are descriptions of the top of the market. They do not say what a typical center, guard or wing receives.

Does CBS Sports say why big men cost more?

No. The report gives no explicit reason. Its only related remark is that "the best rim-protectors usually get PAID in the portal," per CBS Sports. A transfer portal is the system that lets players change schools, and a rim-protector is a big man who blocks and alters shots near the basket.

That sentence says where the money goes, not what causes it. It is useful as a clue, and a reader should keep it as a clue. A price report and a causal claim are different things, and this one is the first kind.

What reasons do analysts give for the big man premium?

The clearest attempt is from Evan Miyakawa, whose EvanMiya blog estimated on April 14, 2026 that centers are the most overpaid position, costing about 30% more than they should on average, per EvanMiya. In his model, an equivalent-talent center costs $1.3 million against $813,000 for a point guard, a 61% premium, per the same post. That is one analyst's model and an earlier season of data, not a reported contract.

His explanation is demand. He writes that big men became "a prized commodity" after Michigan, Arizona, Florida and Duke won with loaded frontcourts, and that in a "copycat league" other teams try to replicate them by stocking up on big men, per EvanMiya. He argues the premium is not justified by output, and that point guards remain the biggest bargain for the production they bring.

A CBS Sports piece on the big man market uses similar language, describing "a robust big man market in college basketball," per CBS Sports. Its page text shows no date. The one supply-side remark it makes is that the depth of big men in the draft could shrink if more of them stay in school. Neither source argues scarcity directly, so scarcity is a plausible factor that these pages do not prove.

Do the transfer portal and eligibility rulings explain the gap?

They shape the market, but the sources do not tie either one to position. CBS Sports says "the open market spiked yet again, leading to the most unruly portal frenzy yet," and that the portal "continues to be the most expensive place to build a roster," per CBS Sports. The rules for moving between schools are in the transfer portal guide.

I built the College NIL and Revenue Share Starter Kit for readers in this spot. A starter kit for players and parents learning how NIL and revenue sharing work.

On eligibility, CBS Sports assumed that every player trying to get eligible as of October 21 will remain eligible, and it says the litigation over a fifth year is still ongoing, per CBS Sports. The rulings so far are in the post on the Kaufman-Renn and Steen rulings.

Here is what the data cannot show. It cannot show how much of the premium comes from the portal, whether big men are more affected by eligibility than other positions, or whether the gap will repeat next season. Anyone who states those as facts is going past the sources.

How does the NIL market by position affect one player's price?

It means a player is priced against his own position, not against the roster average. A guard comparing his offer to a center's headline number is comparing two different markets. The reverse is also true: a big man who hears the top-of-market figure should ask whether he fits the "star" or "best" description.

From an agent's seat, the top of a position's market and its middle behave like different markets, and headlines usually describe the top. A family should therefore ask what the quoted comparison was for: a starter or a reserve, a portal player or a retained player, one season or several.

The reported figures are also not what any individual is paid. CBS Sports describes market prices and team plans, and nothing in that passage names a player's contract. Whether a given offer is fair depends on that player's role, school and terms.

How should an agent or advisor use position comps?

Use them as a range with a label on it. A comp is only as good as its match on four things, and each should be written next to the number.

• Position and level: star center, elite guard or wing, or a rotation player.
• Season: the CBS figures are for the 2026-27 offseason, and the EvanMiya model is from April 2026.
• Source type: a reported market description, an analyst's model or a school document.
• What the number includes: base payments, incentive bonuses, or both.

An advisor who quotes a comp should be able to say where it came from and how old it is. Checking who is allowed to advise a player is covered in the guide on agents, NIL advisors and recruiting services, and comparing real offers side by side is in the guide to comparing college offers. For a player's own deal, the terms that matter are the ones in his written agreement.