Bronny James is back in the news – and this time it is for signing a brand new Nike NIL endorsement deal.
Bronny James is back in the news after he signed a Nike NIL endorsement deal. The 18-year-old–most known as the eldest son of NBA legend LeBron James–signed a Nike NIL endorsement deal as he followed his father’s footsteps in being associated with the iconic sports brand.
Bronny is a senior at Sierra Leone High School who plays as a point guard for the Trailblazers, and is considered being one of the hottest prospects in his age group – and it was no surprise for Nike to hand him the NIL deal. His father famously signed a lifetime contract with the sports giants in 2015, and it seems like Bronny is grateful and excited to continue his family’s legacy.
Bronny recently commented in a statement: “For as long as I can remember, Nike’s been a part of my family. Getting a chance to team up with them and continue my family’s legacy both on the court and in the community is wild – it really means a lot to me.”
Alongside Bronny, four others including Iowa point guard Caitlin Clarke, Stanford guard Hayley Jones, top 2-23 guard D.J. Wagner, and Bronny’s fellow Sierra Canyon High School classmate and star guard Juju Watkins, have all signed NIL deals. However, one question that comes to mind out of this trending story is what exactly is a NIL deal?
What does an NIL deal mean?
An NIL deal essentially stands for “Name, Image and Likeliness”, and is usually associated with college athletes.
The NIL deal was born from a trial between the NCAA and Alston held in September 2021, a trial that centered on whether the NCAA could limit education-related payments to student-athletes. While the NCAA lost the case on a unanimous vote, the NIL was born, essentially stating students could now earn profits from their names, images, and their likenesses.
Bronny signing a NIL deal with Nike means Nike will be able to hold the exclusive rights to his name, image, and all likenesses for a period as listed in his contract.
