UNLV men’s basketball head coach Josh Pastner is looking to “sell” the program for millions of dollars to attract the type of players that can help land the university on the national stage on the radar of Power Four conferences.
Pastner, in the second year at the helm of the Runnin’ Rebels, says the right price for a mega donor is between $10 million to $12 million for name image and likeness funding, but why stop there.
“I haven’t given out a number,” Pastner told the Review-Journal on Saturday. “I just said that $10 million to $12 million. I would love to get it for $20 million to $22 million… I don’t want to put a limit on the number. We’re not even in that galaxy of $10 million to $12 million, we’ll take anything at this point.”
The university is playing up the $10 million mention by Pastner, by taking to the team’s social media accounts Sunday. An Instagram post noted $10 million could also buy a one-of-a-kind Bugatti automobile, the original Birkin handbag from the late namesake Jane Birkin, a private jet, a yearlong hotel suite stay at the Byblos, four Richard Mille watches made for Rafael Nadal, a luxury home in The Estates at Southern Highlands and the Rebels’ basketball program.
Looking to capitalize on the attention received by an X post that declared “D1 basketball team for sale,” the university added a post linking to its Championship Resources page where users can donate to a specific athletic program at UNLV.
UNLV’s annual athletic department financial report showed the university as a whole expected to have around $10.75 million in NIL and revenue sharing funding to distribute to players on multiple university teams. That number increased in two straight years, from $7.5 million in the 2026-26 academic year and $1.2 million in 2024-25.
Pastner said with all the hype the NBA expansion process is receiving in Las Vegas, which interested ownership groups vying for a team in Southern Nevada to the tune of between $7 billion and $10 billion, he sees an investment in UNLV as a bargain.
“However we designate the owner of the team in a way, is that’s got to be a big-time financial commitment,” Pastner said. “It’s not as much as just owning the team, it’s more about we’ve constantly thinking outside the box, being different and unique to try and continue to raise money.”
Under the radar
With UNLV lacking the type of budget that Power Four conference schools do, Pastner is boots on the ground, looking to drum up any and all funding he can get from the Las Vegas community. With the limited budget that they have, he and his staff have to find diamonds in the rough to put a squad together.
“You’re trying to get the best players you can so you can win big,” Pastner said. “Our staff does a great job of coaching and player development. I think we do a good job of evaluating and trying to find guys that are under the radar and who are undervalued. Come play for us, come play our system and you got a chance to increase your value.”
Resorts pitch
Fans routinely question why some of the owners of the major resorts in Las Vegas don’t step up and contribute to the Rebels’ program. Pastner said it’s not that easy to get them on board.
“We’ve got to remember a lot of those hotels are not owned by individual owners like they were back in the day,” Pastner said. “A lot of them are owned by conglomerates and large corporations… With that being said, we are attacking every which way, shape or form or people involved in the community… to try to go to them to help fund raise for NIL. We are not shy about that.”
Retaining a star
After a standout freshman season, sophomore forward Tyrin Jones was being courted to play by other schools and fans of other universities were posting on social media about their desire for the 6-foot-9-inch athletic Las Vegas native to transfer. UNLV’s biggest move in the offseason was re-signing Jones to run it back another season.
“Keeping Tyrin was huge for UNLV,” Pasnter said. “He’s a local young man. He’s a cultural warrior… He could go anywhere in the country, but he wanted to stay here. He trusted me and the coaching staff. He loved our style of play, he loved our coaching staff and he knows he can get to the NBA from UNLV.”
Pack the Mack
Pastner said fans tell him all the time that they want to pack the Thomas & Mack Center once the team is winning, but he says they first need that fan support to help push the athletes in the winning direction.
“What comes first, the chicken or the egg,” he said. “We need you in the Mack to help us win big.”
With UNLV football rising to prominence in recent years after starting to play in Allegiant Stadium and signing big-name head coaches in Barry Odom and then Dan Mullen and the Lady Rebels seeing some success recently, making the NCAA Tournament in three consecutive season between 2022 and 2024, Pastner said the men’s basketball program can build off that momentum.
“Football and women’s basketball are the gold standard in the athletic department,” Pastner said. “So, we’ve got to catch up to them; they’ve set a really high bar. We’re behind and we’ve got to catch up to them.”
Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.
