Duke's Roach to Auction Custom Senior Day Sneakers for Charity
For his last game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday, Duke senior captain Jeremy Roach is using the moment to make NIL memorabilia history, while also supporting a cause close to his heart.
Roach has teamed up with Daps - a "Shopify for athletes" that enables athletes to run their direct-to-fan businesses on their own terms - for a first-of-its-kind launch.
The moment the buzzer sounds on Roach's senior night at Cameron, fans will be able to bid on his custom sneakers worn on-court. Previously, athletes could only sell on-court apparel after they've completed their eligibility, but since Roach's shoes are not team-issued - instead purchased by Daps and customized by notable sneaker artist Sierato - the Duke star can auction them off immediately.
Sierato - who has previously collaborated with the likes of LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, The Migos, Tom Holland, Manny Machado and Jake Paul, among other stars across sports and culture - created a 1 of 1 Nike Kyrie 7, for Roach to wear on Saturday.
The sneakers that Roach will wear, autograph and inscribe after the game will be available for bid on the Daps app, with a portion of proceeds going Durham charity the Me Fine Foundation, which serves as an emergency safety net for families who are experiencing stress from a child's medical crisis.
"I am thrilled to partner with Daps to do something entirely new and unique with my NIL while also supporting the Me Fine Foundation, a local cause which is important to me," Roach shared with Sports Illustrated. "Duke fans have supported my journey and this will be a fun way to give back and commemorate my final game at Cameron."
Daps has previously engaged in the NIL space with collaborations with likely repeat National Player of the Year Zach Edey of Purdue, Pac-12 Player of the Year Cameron Brink of Stanford and Malik Reneau of Indiana, among others. They first started working with Roach last season.
Last week, Daps hosted their first live in-game auction with Jonathan Kuminga of the Warriors. When he faced the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, fans were able to bid live during the game for the jersey off his back, with proceeds helping support Everytown.
"What we are building at Daps is the technology and toolkit for the best athletes in the world to monetize their brands and run their direct to fans businesses," Daps' Co-founder and CEO Jake Klores - a former Columbia basketball player himself - told Sports Illustrated. "In general, fandom - now more than ever - is trending towards the individual. Kids are growing up a much faster rate as fans of individual athletes as opposed to being super fans of teams. The modern sports fan craves a deeper level of access to those individual athletes that they love.
"Our goal is to give fans access to really unique products and experiences directly from athletes they love in some funs, while helping athletes," Klores added. "What we are doing with Jeremy this weekend is such a fun example of that, which we are really excited to tip off."
Bidding on Roach's sneakers will remain open through Sunday and the winner will also receive a personalized video message from the Duke star.
"It's been incredible to see athletes take advantage of their NIL rights in such fun and creative ways and for us to play a little part in helping them do so and make much deserves money for themselves or causes they believe," Klores continued. "To be able to put smiles on faces of their fans is one of the most fun things I could be doing for a living."
Roach - who is averaging 14.3 points per game this season - counts Rhoback, BOA Nutrition, CVS, Fortnite and Athletes.org - where he is a founder of their ACC chapter - among his NIL partners.
"Jeremy and I are really excited to be teaming up with Daps on this project," Roach's agent, Engage co-founder and CEO Daniel Hennes, said. "I always love when we can use NIL to engage fans in a unique way and support the amazing work of a charity like Me Fine.”
Roach and No. 9 Duke host their arch-nemesis in No. 7 North Carolina on Saturday at 6:30 PM ET on ESPN.
