NFL
There are quite a few signature shoes on the market, but so far, none of them are tied to college basketball players. With new NIL regulations having come into effect though, this might change in time. While college athletes are still not paid directly, they are now free to sign with agencies and make deals to profit off of their names, images, and likenesses. They can sell jerseys and apparel, appear in advertisements, and even partner up with shoe companies.
So, could these NIL deals be leading us toward the first active college basketball player to have a signature shoe line? A few signs suggest that they might be.
Younger stars are getting deals
First and foremost we should note that shoe companies appear to have little hesitation in setting up signature shoes for very young stars. Zion Williamson was barely out of college when he got a signature shoe from Jordan. LaMelo Ball never went to college, but just launched his first signature shoe at age 20.
These examples suggest that the shoe companies just aren’t as concerned as they once were with watching pros establish themselves for a few years. They’re willing to give signature lines to young stars, so why not a truly great college player?
There are already fascinating NIL deals
It’s also worth noting that NIL deals aren’t just amounting to local car dealership billboards and on-campus shirt sales. Some college stars have already broken through into exciting areas.
For instance, Duke’s Paolo Banchero signed a deal to appear in the NBA 2k series before he even suited up in a college game. Gonzaga star Chet Holmgren signed what is said to be a massive deal with the Topps sports card company. While these aren’t signature shoe deals, they’re still steps in the right direction.
We’re already seeing shoe deals
Shaedon Sharpe is one of the most promising young prospects in basketball. He recently enrolled at Kentucky a semester early and might go straight to the NBA this summer. But he also might be a star for Kentucky next season, and he recently signed a NIL deal with SoleSavy, stating that he’s “always loved sneakers” and that he and the brand have “got some stuff” up their sleeves. This in and of itself does not amount to a “shoe deal” in the traditional sense, but it certainly shows mutual interest between Sharpe and the sneaker world.
Meanwhile, Mikey Williams, an elite high school prospect, has already signed a deal with Puma. This doesn’t make him a signature shoe athlete just yet, but it’s worth noting that it’s Puma that gave Ball his signature shoe at 20. We’ll definitely be keeping an eye on this relationship to see if Williams can make history with his own signature.
And don’t overlook the women’s game
We tend to associate signature shoes primarily with NBA stars. But elite WNBA players have had excellent signature kicks as well, which means we shouldn’t overlook college women, either.
A few exciting NIL deals have already come out of women’s college basketball. Meanwhile, as alluded to in our UConn season preview, current star Paige Bueckers is on track to be one of the greatest college stars ever. So, could emerging NIL excitement and the presence of a uniquely dominant player add up to a signature shoe deal?
As college athletes get more NIL deals and get their names out there, the idea of a signature shoe for an NCAA basketball player no longer seems like a fantasy. If and when it actually happens, it will be news for all of us sneakerheads to celebrate.
