LSU assistant coach and former WNBA No. 1 draft pick Seimone Augustus believes that she would've earned millions of dollars in NIL if the concept was implemented during her time. The former LSU superstar expressed this opinion during an appearance on the Best of Both Worlds with Flau'jae podcast, on Friday.
Augustus, who played for the Tigers from 2002 to 2006, said that the NIL is a great opportunity for players who want to help their families even before they turn professional.
"I would have got paid I don't know what the highest is but I would have got paid. I would have really been considering if I was even going to the league," Augustus said, leaving Flau'Jae in splits.
Seimone Augustus was picked No. 1 overall in the 2006 WNBA draft by the Minnesota Lynx and played in the league from 2006-19. She played 140 games for the LSU Tigers and had career averages of 19.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 steals.
The six-foot guard was part of the Lynx team that won four WNBA titles in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017 and was the Finals MVP in their 2011 campaign. After the 2019 season, Augustus signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Sparks. She then moved on to serve as an assistant coach for the Sparks before taking up the job at LSU this year.
Seimone Augustus says first game in LSU was her most memorable moment
Seimone Augustus told Johnson that her debut game in LSU was her most memorable moment. She said that at the time, she was "hyped" to see the season ticket holders cheering, and other fans going crazy about women's basketball.
"I grew up going to LSU games and I remember when there was a black curtain up and you didn't sit on one half of the stadium because there wasn't that many fans in the stand. So, to walk out or run out and you see all of these fans, just kind of, like going crazy over women's, basketball, obviously, that was wild," she said.
Coach Augustus was also asked about her LSU jersey being retired and being the first woman player in the program's history to receive that honor and she said:
"It felt great. That wasn't my intention when I came there. Literally my intention was just to play great basketball and do all these amazing things... the fruits of your labor like comes a little bit later, but you got to put that work in."
Seimone Augustus's addition to the Tigers' coaching staff seems to have helped the Tigers' quest to claim their second title in three seasons. No. 5-ranked LSU is 10-0 this season including victories over 2024 Final Four qualifier NC State and perennial women's basketball powerhouse Stanford.
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