UCLA Women's Basketball: Kiki Rice Makes NIL History With New Merch
In 2022, UCLA guard Kiki Rice became Jordan's first NIL athlete. Now she's back in the spotlight not only because of her stellar sophomore season during which she's averaged over 12 points per game, but also because of her unique collaboration with the Jordan brand.
Growing up in the Washington D.C. area, Rice wanted to design the shoe in such a way that it would pay homage to the beautiful springtime scenery of her childhood region. "Growing up in D.C.", said Rice, "everybody would love sports in the springtime when the cherry blossoms would bloom… I thought that would be a huge testament to DC".
"It means so much to me to be the first Jordan NIL brand athlete,” Rice said. “Growing up, I looked forward to wearing the shoes that my favorite athlete designed, and I think for me this is just a really big moment and I'm excited to rep these shoes.”
Rice, who is represented by the Wasserman agency is no stranger to NIL partnerships and she recently struck a deal with Beats by Dre back in December. She was the number 2 overall recruit coming out of high school in her class, and has lived up to lofty expectations thus far. Her agency, Wasserman, also represent WNBA star power forward Breanna Stewart as well as budding NBA star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
You can check out some other NIL deals that Rice is involved in on On3's NIL deal tracker here. The Bruins women's basketball team is currently ranked ninth in the nation with a 19-4 record, good for fourth in the Pac-12.