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WNBA star Angel Reese has exceeded the expectations of her former agents. During a panel discussion at ComplexCon 2024, Nov. 16-17, in Las Vegas, NV, the Chicago Sky player looked back on the discouraging advice she received from her former agents, who had low expectations for her success with name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals. “I used to be with an agency, and I’m not with the agency anymore,” the 22-year-old explained on the panel, moderated by Speedy Morman , according to Complex. “And initially when I was with the agency, that specific agency told me I was never going to make over $2,000. … And that was when NIL first started.” Reese would prove those agents wrong. She has secured a slew of NIL deals with companies that include: Wingstop McDonald’s Raising Cane’s Amazon Sonic Bose Banter by Piercing Pagoda TurboTax Xfinity JanSport Outback Steakhouse In April 2024, her NIL valuation had reached $1.8 million, notes The Street. Reese is now working with new agents, Jeanine...
Two-time Super Bowl champion Terrell Davis is taking the lessons of his past and educating the next generation of athletes. The San Diego, CA-native was once a student-athlete, playing for Long Beach State University in California before transferring to the University of Georgia after Long Beach’s football program was shut down. In 1995, Davis’ talents would bring him to the bright lights of the NFL field, with him being drafted by the Denver Broncos. The team signed him under a three-year contract valued at $484,000, which included a $38,000 signing bonus, mentioned Spotrac. Early Financial Mishaps He recalled having no prior financial education when he entered the league, but he had a realization about money management through veteran teammate Simon Raynard Fletcher who one day was driving him to a nearby hotel following training camp. “I noticed on the passenger side of his car when I got in, it was a bunch of envelopes and there was a bunch of checks,” Davis told AFROTECH™. “I...
College football quarterback Shedeur Sanders still remains at the top of name, image, and likeness (NIL) earners. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Shedeur was listed at the top of the 2023 college football season, with an approximate $3.8 million valuation. This was also the highest NIL valuation at the time. In 2024, not much has changed. Shedeur — who now plays for the University of Colorado and is being led by his father and head coach Deion Sanders — has a NIL valuation that has soared to an estimated $5.1 million , according to the latest data from On3. He is joined by his teammate, Travis Hunter, who is ranked third with an estimated $3.1 million valuation. View this post on Instagram A post shared by On3 NIL (@on3nil) Signing To Nike The news follows just weeks after Shedeur made history as the first college football player to sign an NIL deal with Nike. His presence within the athletic apparel giant is now a family affair, as his father is also signed to a deal with the...
College football player Travis Hunter has made wise financial decision with his latest name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal. NerdWallet Wide receiver for the Colorado Buffaloes, Hunter will now be working with finance platform NerdWallet, joining USC basketball superstar JuJu Watkins, Sports Illustrated reported. He is the first football athlete on their roster. The conditions for signing an NIL deal with NerdWallet include stipulations that the athlete must fulfill a smart money action and release publicly the terms of their contract. Hunter was given three smart money options and he moved forward with the plan to place 20% of his earnings into a savings account. “Preparation is the key to success both on and off the field, and I’m excited to plan for a strong financial future with the help of NerdWallet,” the NCAA athlete said in a statement. “The opportunity to earn and be smarter with managing my NIL money in the right bank account while playing football was too good to pass...
Shedeur Sanders follows in his father’s footsteps by signing a deal with Nike. Deion Sanders, the head football coach at the University of Colorado , first signed to Nike in the 1990s and the partnership led to his own signature shoes, reports CBS Sports. Deion would later part ways with the shoe retailer, cementing a long-term partnership with Under Armour. In 2023, he made a comeback to Nike, paving the way for a fresh collection of footwear, such as a new version of the “Varsity Maize” Nike Air DT Max ’96, Complex mentions. View this post on Instagram A post shared by @COACHPRIME (@deionsanders) Deion’s legacy at Nike will now also include his son Shedeur, who has cemented a name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal. He becomes the first college football player to sign with Nike, according to Andscape. Per On3, Shedeur current NIL valuation is said to be $4.7 million. “Now it’s a family business,” a shared statement reads via Instagram. View this post on Instagram A post shared by...
Rolanda Brandon has filed a lawsuit due to North Carolina’s NIL restrictions. She is the mother of Faizon Brandon, a quarterback at Grimsley High School and the nationa’s top-ranked recruit in the 2026 class, according to ABC11. The high school player intends to play for the University of Tennessee upon graduating in the fall of 2025, which he affirmed through a verbal commitment, per CBS Sports. The journey toward higher learning is often met with great excitement for athletes and name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals have further energized the sports arena for both college and some high school students. However, this may not have been the case for Faizon. The Athletic Narrative states that while high school students can engage in NIL deals, the eligibility is subject to state laws and the specific rules of their schools or sports teams. Rolanda is now suing the state of North Carolina due to the barriers around NIL deals, The Charlotte Observer reports. This has prevented Faizon...
Josh Petty has received a significant name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal that was hard to pass up. Petty is an offensive lineman from Fellowship Christian School in Roswell, GA, and was a No. 8 prospect for Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), according to data released by 247Sports. Committing To Georgia Tech Announced on Aug. 12, 2024, Petty plans to take his football talents to Georgia Tech in Atlanta, GA, with an official commitment. For the school, this reportedly becomes its second-highest ranking recruit ever, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. “Georgia Tech is feeling like home and is my home,” Petty expressed, per the outlet. “They’ve got guys over there that make it feel authentic. They’ve got everything over there that’s been amazing. Staying in Atlanta is huge. It’ll definitely help with that feeling-at-home piece, but the friendly faces and the smiles and everything that goes on inside that building is more important to me as far as the home factor.”...
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...
Former University of South Carolina (USC) basketball player B.J. Mack has made his father’s entrepreneurial dreams a reality. According to the USC student newspaper The Daily Gamecock, his father, Brian, had once owned and operated a barbershop years ago that was centered around his interest in basketball. However, Brian was displaced from the business after 26 years because of highway construction in the area. B.J., who was raised in the barbershop, wanted to restore his father’s vision, NBC’s WCNC in Charlotte, NC, reports. “I’m a sports and entertainment management major, so … I came to them with the idea of, ‘Hey, since I know you really want to do a barbershop, you’ve been talking about it for pretty much 20 years of my life, why not be able to help you out with it?'” B.J. explained, per WCNC. On June 29, 2024, House of Hoops Barbershop launched near downtown Charlotte, and it led a charity shoe drive for the community at its grand opening. What’s more, the venture was...
Former University of North Carolina (UNC) basketball player Armando Bacot is investing his earnings from name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals. During an interview on the “Run Your Race” podcast, Bacot said he earned “life-changing” money — more than $2 million — during his time at the university. He even opted to stay for a fifth season to reap the full benefits. Per On3, his deals have included Wingstop, Intuit TurboTax, and Topps. “That speaks on the brand of Carolina. If I didn’t go to Carolina, doing deals with TurboTax, all those people, they wouldn’t do it with me… If you go to Carolina, you handle business, you go out there and play, somewhat be marketable… it pays,” he explained. “I could never say a bad word about Carolina and everything ’cause I got life-changing money. I’m from Richmond. I got life-changing money in college just off playing basketball.” Bacot emphasized his gratitude to UNC, crediting his success to the college. He believes he would not have landed...
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,...
Women-led hair startup Parfait continues to champion Black women. As AFROTECH™ previously mentioned, Parfait is reportedly the first to integrate facial recognition and artificial intelligence (AI) to provide buyers with customizable wig products. It previously raised $5 million in April 2022, backed by a funding round led by Upfront Ventures and Serena Ventures. “It’s widely understood that facial recognition systems perform less well for women and people of color,” said Parfait Co-Founder Isoken Igbinedion, a former Target and Amazon executive . “Training models used in facial recognition technology are largely unbalanced, often relying on training datasets that are similar in makeup, and do not represent the visual composition of faces worldwide. This often results in poor performance for users who do not fit into that dataset, often represented by white faces and male features.” She continued, “Parfait seeks to be the first to make major progress in improving product and service...
A first-of-its-kind NIL lawsuit is brewing. Forbes reports that Jaden Rashada is suing Hugh Hathcock and his business, Velocity Automotive; University of Florida football coach Billy Napier; and Florida’s NIL director, Marcus Castro-Walker, for alleged “fraud, negligence, and interference.” As previously shared by AFROTECH™, Rashada was initially committed to the University of Miami in Florida for a reported $9.5 million deal. However, in 2023, he pivoted to signing with the Florida Gators for $13.85 million, but the Gator Collective ultimately terminated the binding agreement. After the failed deal, Rashada moved on to Arizona State University and most recently transferred to the University of Georgia as quarterback. Now, Forbes details that Rashada has sued Hathcock, Napier, and Castro-Walker for allegedly causing him to not only lose out on the Miami deal but also potential offers from other colleges and universities. Moreover, he is seeking punitive damages. In Rashada’s...
Promising opportunities are on the way for college athlete Great Osobor. ESPN reports Osobor, the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year, has settled on the University of Washington after entering the NCAA transfer portal. The forward previously played for Utah State University and had already expressed interest in moving to Washington after Utah coach Danny Sprinkle was hired on as the school’s newest coach, according to Fox Sports. “I would like to thank God for putting me in this position,” Osobor said, according to ESPN. “Washington will allow me to maximize my potential as a player in my final year of college basketball. Coach [Danny] Sprinkle has been with me every step of the way since I came from England, and I cannot wait to help the Huskies get back to the NCAA tournament.” Osobor’s move also signals a great precedence in the age of name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals. The outlet notes he has agreements, such as marketing assurances, in place that will set his NIL...
