Dick Vitale makes a case to pay Zion Williamson and other college players

A take on how to solve some of the problems facing the NCAA and collegiate athletics.

In the 40 years since Dick Vitale joined ESPN, he says he has never seen a player “as unique in his skills” as Zion Williamson.

The Basketball Hall of Famer clarified that didn’t mean the Duke forward who’s getting set for the 2019 NCAA tournament was the best player he’d ever seen. But he loves Williamson’s “agility and mobility,” explosive first step and bounce that goes along with a great work ethic, one that could help eliminate any perceived flaws in the big man’s game once he reaches the pro level.

And it’s that entire body of work that makes Vitale think Williamson deserves to be paid money for what he does, despite NCAA rules prohibiting him from getting a paycheck.

“Hey, if Taylor Swift was a student on a college campus, she could go out and do a concert and make zillions, and it’s okay,” Vitale told For The Win last week while promoting his partnership with Bounty.

His plan to eliminate some of the problems in collegiate athletics — like “that nonsense we’re reading about that’s going on with admissions (that’s) a cesspool.” — is simple.

“The NCAA doesn’t have to play every player,” he explained, “because they don’t have enough money or not enough for every student athlete out there in all sports.”

“If an agent wants to give (an athlete) money while he’s playing on an intercollegiate level, so what? Make it legal,” he added. “If he wants to make an appearance or do an endorsement, let him do it. Why not? Let’s eliminate this middleman stuff and all this nonsense that goes on.”

So he understands what NBA players like Trae Young and DeMarcus Cousins were saying when they called out the NCAA and said to do — as Boogie said to Williamson through the media — “what’s best for you and your family.”

“Everyone else is making money!” he said, echoing what the Golden State Warriors forward said recently. “Coaches make millions, TV people make millions, I make a good living. What about the kids who are playing? You don’t give everybody the same because every player isn’t the same.”