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NiJaree Canady’s new beginnings are also being rewarded. The former Stanford Cardinal softball ace pitcher is heading to Texas Tech’s Red Raiders team next spring, per The Athletic. Canady is the 2024 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year and has led her team to consecutive appearances in the Women’s College Series in 2023 and 2024, ESPN notes. She upheld a 0.67 ERA (earned run average) with 555 strikeouts in 365⅔ innings during her initial two years with the Stanford Cardinal softball team. Canady took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to confirm her transition to the Texas Tech Red Raiders team. “These past two years have been amazing and I thank @StanfordSball for the ride of a lifetime. Excited for what’s ahead! @TexasTechSB,” she wrote on X. Canady has also cemented a name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal. She reportedly signed a one-year deal valued at $1.1 million with Texas Tech’s collective Matador Club, a source familiar with the deal confirmed to The Athletic. “I could...
A lot of buzz surrounds Bronny James. The former University of Southern California (USC) basketball player and son of superstar LeBron James has been set on making it to the NBA with the intentions of forging his own path. “I think I’ve put in the work, and I’d get drafted because of not only the player but the person that I am,” he said during a press conference held at the 2024 NBA Draft Combine in May. On June 27, 2024, it was revealed that he was drafted to the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round as the 55th overall draft pick. “Welcome to the #Lakeshow, @bronny,” the team wrote via Instagram. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Los Angeles Lakers (@lakers) James joins his father, LeBron, who is currently on the team’s roster. Their presence in the league is historic as this will be the first active father-son duo in the NBA, CBS Sports reports. “NBA history could be made next season, and should be made in a Lakers uniform,” Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka said,...
Dunkin’ has become one of the latest companies to scout student-athletes for endorsement deals after the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) updated its name, image and likeness (NIL) policy. The company has debuted its starting roster including University of North Carolina’s Deja Kelly — a guard for the North Carolina Tar Heels — Bloomberg reports. “I am so excited to announce that I am officially the captain of Team Dunkin’! I am a longtime Dunkin’ fan so this is truly a dream come true — stay tuned to see how Dunkin’ fuels me on and off the court,” Kelly wrote via Instagram. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Deja Kelly (@dejakelly) Her new deal comes in after her signing with WME Sports in September 2021. Alongside her is the University of Georgia’s Matthew Boling, who is a track and field champ. The two young star athletes are the beginning of Dunkin’s plans to continue building its roster throughout the year.
Name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals are now exploding all over the sports industry, and athletes are taking full advantage of the opportunity. The opportunity became a wide-open field on June 21, 2021, when the Supreme Court ruled that the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) was engaging in what they called an “illegal restraint of trade” by forbidding them to get endorsement deals for their sports play. There are plenty of restrictions in place, still. For example, a student cannot endorse a “vice” business, such as gambling or prostitution — but for the most part, business is booming in the world of college sports. According to ESPN, male athletes are dominating the NIL industry by a wide margin. Between July 31, 2021 — which was officially the first day NIL deals were allowed after the Supreme Court made its ruling — and Dec. 31, 2021, more than 125,000 athletes have signed some form of a NIL deal. That’s out of about 500,000 athletes total across three divisions...
NBA legend J.R. Smith is ready for NIL deals. According to ESPN, Smith — a freshman golfer and retired NBA guard — has just signed with Excel Sports for NIL (name, image, likeness) representation. The news was announced by his agent, Lance Young. But what’s interesting is, this new deal is specifically for his burgeoning golf career. “Smith, 36, is beginning his second semester for the Aggies, and his emergence as perhaps the most well-known Division I golfer has inspired significant endorsement possibilities that could earn him well into the six figures under the NCAA’s new name, image and likeness legislation,” reports the outlet. The outlet also confirms that J.R. Smith made more than $90 million in his career in the NBA, and retired with titles with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2016) and the Los Angeles Lakers (2020) and earned a Sixth Man of the Year Award with the New York Knicks in 2013. But he’s hoping that his career in golf will serve as a bridge for more underrepresented...