Seven Prep Hoops Stars Sign NIL Deals with PSD
Seven prep players, five of which will play in next month’s McDonald’s All-American game, have inked a Name, Image and Likeness deal with PSD, a underwear company that counts a two-time NBA champion as an equity holder.
That player, Mike Miller, logged 17 years in the NBA and now runs LIFT Sports Management. The deal is unique because Miller’s agency helped facilitate the deal with the seven players, most of which will play college basketball next fall.
They include four McDonald’s All-Americans who have already committed to colleges for 2024 — VJ Edgecombe (Baylor), Tre Johnson (Texas), Derrion Reid (Alabama) and Jayden Quaintance (Kentucky).
Another, Karter Knox, is a McDonald’s All-American who has yet to commit, with his choices down to Kentucky, Louisville, USF or the G League Ignite.
Billy Richmond, a Kentucky commit, was a McDonald’s All-America nominee, and Joson Sanon is the No. 9 prospect in the Class of 2025.
Miller saw the deal as an opportunity to give these young stars a jump-start on capitalizing on NIL and learning more about the evolving space.
“The biggest thing there is just introducing the high school kids, especially the elite high school kids, to brands that associate them with high level college and NBA basketball players,” Miller said.
All seven players are legitimate prospects for the NBA, even though they must play one year of college ball or non-NBA pro ball before they are eligible for the NBA Draft.
The deal with PSD connects the seven players with an underwear brand that is used by athletes across all major sports, along with entertainers and influencers.
The deal launched at the start of February with social media drops on different channels, both on PSD’s channels and those of the players. Miller said they are planning events around the McDonald’s Game in March, which will be played on April 2 at the Toyota Center in Houston.
“That's gonna be an exciting time for us,” Miller said. “For the LIFT kids and the rest of the guys that are there. We're fortunate to have five kids (in the game). So we'll be doing some special things.”
