In light of his recent admission that he once had “the same mentality I see in a lot of these kids,” Giannis Antetokounmpo has graciously agreed to sponsor four Division I walk-ons with Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals for a combined $25,000.

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The Milwaukee Bucks power forward, chosen with the 15th overall pick in the first round of the 2013 NBA Draft, was never given the chance to play collegiate basketball. He did, however, note that his experience is comparable to that of athletes attempting to become well-known before perhaps making a big move to the professional levels.

“When I first joined the NBA at the age of 18, I wasn’t the guy that played right away,” Antetokounmpo told Insider. But I was constantly thinking positively. I questioned things because I wanted to learn and develop. I was surrounded by my seasoned colleagues, who knew more about basketball than I did, every day I went to the game.

“And then I took advantage of the chance when it came up,” he went on. “I continued to be ready.”

The 28-year-old, also known as the “Greek Freak,” developed with Filathlitikos in the Greek B Basket League for two years prior to coming to the United States.

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Even with his seven-foot frame to his advantage, he wasn’t always respected the way he is now. His goal is to provide scholarships to talented athletes who don’t immediately become household names so they can play without concern for money.

In the end, it doesn’t really matter who ranks first, second, or third. The MVP of the squad has nothing to do with it. March Madness this year was preceded by Antetokounmpo saying, “It’s about the end of the bench.” Even if they are not on the ground, they can still have an impact.

“They want to keep getting better,” he said. “They have so much to offer their teams.”

One athlete that won the NBA champion’s prize is freshman Andre Johnson Jr. of UConn; during his high school career, he suffered a leg injury that led several university institutions to withdraw their scholarship offers.

And Lauren Zwetzig of Notre Dame, who transferred at the conclusion of her sophomore year from Haverford College. The student switched programs after accepting that she would not be able to play competitive basketball any more.

I decided to apply for the management position because women’s basketball is my favourite sport, and I wanted to continue involved with it. “I was asked to walk on the team for a roster sport after being selected as a manager and then became a practice player,” reads the Fighting Irish Athletics website.

Both Spencer Hubbard of Duke University and Ronnie Porter of Wisconsin had to overcome challenges to get to where they are now. Porter declined offers from other universities in order to focus on a career in nonprofit work prior to joining the Badgers practice squad.

But Hubbard was often told that his five-foot-eight height would not allow him to play collegiate basketball successfully.

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Antetokounmpo said, “I think these people have incredible stories about not being the people a coach saw when they walked into the gym.” Or maybe they were the ones who had the misfortune of getting hurt or losing the scholarship. In the end, though, they’re not quite done.

“I’m not done yet, I repeat myself,” he went on. “I want to continue improving, moving forward, and taking home victories.” I think a lot of these walk-on kids think the same way.

Furthermore, Antetokounmpo and Degree have made the decision to pair each player with a mentor to help them flourish in their lives outside of basketball.

After the March Madness event, which runs from March 14 to April 3, a fifth competitor will be chosen by fan vote to have the opportunity to join Degree’s Walk-On program.