Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway has contributed $2.6 million of his own salary to the Tigers' revenue sharing fund, per CBS Sports. The contribution represents roughly 29 percent of the program's total $9 million revenue sharing pool.
Hardaway is entering his ninth season at Memphis and is the latest college basketball coach to donate back to his team's player compensation. Yahoo Sports reports that Hardaway made the move in an attempt to help level the playing field in an era where NIL has become a driving factor in player recruitment and retention. Programs with larger budgets hold a recruiting advantage, and Hardaway's personal contribution expands Memphis' ability to compete for talent.
13-19, 8-10 conf10th in AmericanStreak L1
The Tigers finished 2025-26 with a 13-19 record and an 8-10 mark in American Athletic Conference play, placing them 10th in the conference. They are on a one-game losing streak heading into the new season. Memphis will need to show improvement in year nine under Hardaway, and the additional $2.6 million in NIL funding represents a significant resource commitment to that goal.
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