October 10, (THEWILL) – Basketball players Bronny James, Caitlin Clark, Haley Jones, DJ Wagner, and Juju Watkins, are among the five high school and college players with whom Nike signed name, image, and likeness (NIL) contracts on Monday.
James, a senior at Sierra Canyon High School, north of Los Angeles, follows his father, LeBron, who inked an enduring contract with Nike in 2015 that is thought to be worth more than $1 billion.
In 2021, athletes were given the option to make money off their name, image, and likeness. This rule applies to all NCAA participants, as well as specific state-based high school students. James is ranked No. 41 overall in the class of 2023. He has not yet decided whether to enrol in college next year or pursue a career.
The No. 2 overall prospect in the 2023 class, Watkins, goes to the same high school as James and is targeted by many top universities. Wagner, the son of former NBA player, Dajuan Wagner, who is ranked second overall, has also made no collegiate plans. Clark averaged 27 points, 8 assists, and 8 rebounds per game as a sophomore. He was named the 2022 Big Ten Player of the Year and made the first-team All-American.
Jones is a senior guard for Stanford, which made it to the Final Four the previous year and won the title in 2021. Last year, she was named an All-American after averaging 13.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 30.8 minutes per game.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
