Davion Mintz finding comfort in NIL era: "How times have changed"

Davion Mintz hasn’t been shy about the mental difficulties that life has recently forced upon himself and the rest of the pandemic-riddled world. Nothing about his first-year experience at Kentucky during the 2020-21 season was typical of the all-time winningest program in the sport. That was a major reason why he decided to come back for a fifth year of college — to enjoy all the luxuries that come with suiting up for the Kentucky Wildcats.

But even when he did announce a return to UK, a return to normalcy didn’t take right away.

Mintz struggled out the gate in 2021-22 as he bought into his new role. Outside of a 13-point performance against Robert Morris in the second game of the season, the 6-foot-3 combo guard was shooting just 15-52 from the field (28.8 percent) over eight of his first nine outings. Part of that rough stretch was due to him battling a non-COVID-related illness that saw him sit out three games in late November through early December. It took him time to find his footing as a result.

Actually, all it took was the return of his furry best friend, Ghost, a French bulldog who now lives with Mintz at the Wildcat Coal Lodge on campus. He had to apply for Ghost as a service dog to make it happen, but now the two live comfortably together once again. Mintz has clearly benefited from the return of his partner in crime.

“I think he’s the secret sauce to all of it,” Mintz said last month after hitting five 3-pointers and scoring 19 points against Georgia, the same game he recorded his 1,000 career college point. “It’s been great with him around. He makes everything easier. He’s probably the reason I’m actually playing well.”

Since helping UK takedown Tubby Smith’s High Point squad on New Year’s Eve, Mintz has morphed into a leading candidate for the SEC’s Sixth Man of the Year award. Over those 12 games (including two as a starter), he’s averaging 10.1 points and 2.3 assists in 26.0 minutes off the bench. His shooting split is what sticks out though: 43.2 percent from the field, a lethal 40.7 percent on 4.5 attempts per contest, and a 73.9 percent clip from the free-throw line.

Mintz credits Ghost for his recent breakout, so he decided to return the favor to his canine buddy in the form of a first-of-its-kind name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal. Both Mintz and the thumbless Ghost agreed to a NIL deal with the Richmond Road Vet Clinic, which was officially announced on Thursday. A commercial was released to accompany the deal, which showed Mintz and Ghost “choosing” Richmond Road Vet Clinic over other hats (and leashes) on the table.

Two years ago, the thought of a basketball player starring in any commercial was a pipe dream. When Mintz was an underclassman at Creighton before transferring to Kentucky, the idea of simply designing your own logo was enough to get him in trouble with the coaching staff. Life sure has changed since then.

“It’s been great,” Mintz said on Friday of his new NIL deal. “Ghost, he did a great job, and being able to partner with Richmond Road Vet Clinic, that was really big for both sides. Ghost really loves it there and it’s really just about a comfort thing — and a match. The whole partnership has been great with them but I specifically remember when I was, I may have been a freshman in college, and I had made my own shirts with my logo on the back — a little logo I had made up — and I had posted it on Instagram not knowing any better and my coach had brought me in like ‘hey we gotta get rid of those, you can’t sell those’ and now, just to look at how times have changed, it’s crazy. It’s been good.”

Mintz was an 18-year old freshman at Creighton all the way back in the 2016-17 season. Now 23 years old, he can legally make money through all sorts of different avenues. But who would have thought he’d be able to rope his dog into the equation, as well? Indeed, the times sure have changed.