At just 20-years-old, Deja Kelly has been stellar to watch both on and off the basketball court. As previously reported by AfroTech, this year has been filled with first-of-its-kind feats for the North Carolina Tar Heels star including being one of the first athletes to sign a Dunkin’ endorsement deal and signing her first long-term equity deal as BARCODE’s first-ever female name, image, and likeness (NIL) shareholder. While Kelly has taken on multiple firsts, she’s continuing to add even more wins to her plate. The UNC player recently signed a one-year partnership with global sportswear brand Actively Black — making her the Black-owned label’s first-ever NIL signee — according to a press release. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Actively BLACK (@activelyblack)

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.