When this March Madness star isn't hustling on the court, he has a side hustle owning vending machines

By Weston Blasi

N.C. State's D.J. Burns, set to play Saturday in the NCAA tournament's Final Four, says he can't eat what's in his vending machines

'I'm gonna be honest: I can't eat what's in my vending machines. But it sells well for sure.'

That's North Carolina State big man D.J. Burns on a recent installment of the "Pardon My Take" podcast, talking about his side hustle: owning vending machines.

While some college basketball stars like Caitlin Clark, Jared McCain and Robert Dillingham have inked million-dollar NIL deals with big brands like Nike (NKE), State Farm and Crocs (CROX), other players have much smaller deals. Burns decided to get entrepreneurial to augment his NIL money. The 23-year-old senior, who hails from South Carolina, owns multiple snack-vending machines.

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How did this 2024 Final Four player get into this unexpected, and unglamorous, line of business?

It all started while he was talking with one of his trainers, Gabe Blair.

"I was just talking to him about some things I went through, and what are ways to make money outside of basketball so you're not like one-dimensional as a person. That was one of the things he showed me, and I took after it."

Burns added that he owns two vending machines himself, and has advised other people in his life to pursue the same strategy.

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And he's not alone in thinking vending machines are strong investment vehicles for those seeking passive income. In the U.S., there are some 3 million individual vending machines that are part of an $18.2 billion industry. The average machine brings in $525 in monthly revenue, according to the National Automatic Merchandising Association.

Individuals who own vending machines typically pay a monthly fee to the owner of the location where the vending machines sit. The owner of the vending machine is also tasked with reloading the machine when necessary, although third-party companies can be hired to do that. Oftentimes vending-machine owners will buy inventory for their machines in bulk at warehouse stores like Costco (COST) or Sam's Club (WMT) to save money.

Burns has quickly become one of the most discussed figures in college basketball. He is one of the most searched players on Google during March Madness is one of the most wagered-on players to win the tournaments MVP award.

Anybody who has watched an N.C. State game this season would have been left with a Burns impression. He's known for his interior scoring and rebounding, as well as for his tremendous size - he's listed at 6-foot-9 and 275 pounds on the N.C. State website, although many have speculated that he's bigger, or at least heavier, than that.

Burns was recently asked by the Athletic how he has been so effective on the court this season.

"I would definitely say my size is 100% the reason. I think if I was a skinny guy at 240 doing this, it wouldn't even be looked at, at all," said Burns. "Even though we're gonna get rid of [his thick midsection] - and we are getting rid of it right now - it feels good to be different and have it work. I wouldn't say I lean into it, but I think it's cool. It gave me an avenue. It gave me a platform that most people don't have, just because I'm unique."

See also: NFL draft prospect Braden Fiske is projected to sign an $8 million deal. Here's how he plans to invest it.

Entering the tournament, in addition to his vending-machine hustle, Burns does had some typical NIL arrangements, mostly with smaller brands. He has deals with the school's NIL collective, called Pack of Wolves; the gas station 76; and Mt. Olive Pickles.

But as the tournament has progressed he has added deals with Adidas (XE:ADS), CVS Pharmacy (CVS), Manscaped, Raising Cane's and Intuit TurboTax (INTU).

Burns, whose 11th-seeded Wolfpack plays the No. 1 seed Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday at 6:09 p.m. Eastern, in the Final Four 16, didn't reveal on the podcast how much money he makes from his vending machines.

Read on: This NFL player tried to buy a Tesla Cybertruck for $100,000 over asking - and was blocked by his financial adviser

-Weston Blasi

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04-01-24 1129ET

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