UConn star Bueckers signs endorsement deal

After a sensational rookie stint at UConn, the point guard for the Huskies, Paige Bueckers, Has got your first name, picture and portrait sponsorship deal– A multi-year collaboration with the footwear and apparel market platform, StockX.

The reigning 2021 John Wooden award winner – the first female rookie to win the annual award since it began in 1976 – will become “the strong point” of StockX’s impending focus on women’s sports and basketball, according to a spokesperson. of the company.

“My collaboration with StockX is about fairness and authenticity,” he said. Bueckers. “It’s about the products I love and about shining a light on all the creatives that drive the culture. I’m here to celebrate them and, together with StockX, invest to ensure that women and female athletes are prioritized, elevated and recognized by his style and his leadership. “

Launched in 2016, StockX has more than 125,000 items in its market from more than 500 brands. The company saw item sales totaling $ 1.8 billion in 2020, a dramatic increase, from $ 1 billion in 2019.

In 2019, women’s exclusive tennis sales “outpaced the general market” by 80%, according to the company, with a growing number of women donning high-value retro athletic shoes and sneakers that reflect a lifestyle in recent years.

In April, StockX announced its most recent round of financing, leading to its current appraisal of $ 3.8 billion. The terms of the collaboration of Bueckers they were not disclosed.

“We are committed to providing a platform for female athletes to not only promote their personal style, interests and values ​​but also to amplify their voices and connect with their communities,” said Deena Bahri, StockX Marketing Director.

In addition to distinguishing himself on the court, Bueckers He boasts more than 914,000 followers on Instagram and 341,000 followers on TikTok, where he is often seen showing off his extra-cool style and clothing.

While the new NCAA regulation on name, image and portrait (NIL) went into effect on the 1st. On July 12, it wasn’t until July 12 that the UConn athletic department outlined its NIL policy.

The state of Connecticut also provided its own rules of allowed roads for college athletes to earn money from the 1st. of September, in the Public Law 21-132 of the state.

Specifically, female athletes must still wear Nike products to all official activities and all official team matches. The Swoosh has long counted UConn as one of its NCAA “elite” schools. Bueckers He primarily wore the Nike Kyrie 7 in the team’s exclusive color palette throughout his rookie year.

On July 13, UConn’s athletic department struck a deal with social media insights company Opendorse to provide its student-athletes with resources, education and marketing tools around potential NIL deals in the new environment. . During last spring’s NCAA tournament, Opendorse had estimated NIL’s value of Bueckers at $ 382,000 per year.

At the beginning of August, Bueckers selected the Wasserman agency and prominent longtime WNBA agent Lindsay Kagawa Colas to represent her in all of her NIL negotiations, leading to the multi-year collaboration with StockX. Additional negotiations with several other companies are ongoing, and more announcements are anticipated in the season.

As part of the agreement, StockX will collect and provide extensive data and insights throughout the collaboration to validate the notion that female athletes can generate interest and impact sales for global partners.

Throughout the 25-year history of the WNBA, only nine women have received their own line of athletic shoes. After signing with Puma this past spring, on a contract that Wasserman also negotiated, the star of the Seattle Storm, Breanna Stewart, is set to become the 10th woman to launch her own athletic shoe line in the following 2022 WNBA season.

Brands have long haunted Bueckers as a rising star who can be an impact shoe sponsor while in college and during her inevitable WNBA career as a potential future WNBA draft pick. There is wide expectation throughout the industry that offering a line of athletic footwear will be a necessary prerequisite for signing Bueckers once he turns professional.

However, she is not eligible to enter the WNBA drawing until 2023 at the earliest, due to the league’s rule that “requires entrants to be at least 22 years old during the year the drawing will take place.” .

Earlier in August, Wasserman filed the official application to register, as a trademark, the phrase “Paige Buckets” to advertise footwear and clothing. As part of the StockX deal, Bueckers will also help design exclusive products for the platform’s DropX portal for exclusive limited-edition releases. These products may include third party apparel brands or partners and may incorporate your Paige Buckets nickname.

For Bueckers, there will be an emphasis on community-focused initiatives and highlighting black women and creatives from the Indigenous, Black, and Black Community (BIPOC) in upcoming projects. In accepting the ESPY award for Best Female College Athlete of the Year 2021, she thanked black women specifically for their impact on the entire sport of basketball and the culture of the sport.

“Paige is not afraid to stand up for her beliefs and speak out for change, which aligns perfectly with our cultural values ​​of remaining committed to what is fair and building a legacy,” added Bahri, StockX’s Chief Marketing Officer. “We are excited to focus attention on this rising star and collaborate with her as she continues to make an impact on and off the court.”

For the entire duration of the contract, Bueckers will also have access to limited access footwear and clothing from all brands available on the platform. In her first official photoshoot with StockX, she rotated between items from Nike, New Balance, Jerry Lorenzo’s Essentials line (associated with Adidas), and Drake’s OVO clothing line (associated with Nike and Jordan Brand).

It is anticipated that she will continue to wear a variety of brands throughout her off-court college career, eventually culminating in a bidding war for her exclusive shoe and apparel sponsorship deal with a future brand partner when Bueckers kicks off her career. professional in 2023.