South Carolina's Fulwiley Partners with Curry Brand for NIL Shoe Deal
MiLaysia Fulwiley is having a stellar start to her freshman campaign at South Carolina. The 5’10” guard is averaging nearly twelve points a game off 44% shooting from the field. Fulwiley had quite the weekend, as she exceeded her prior benchmarks scoring a career high twenty-four points in the SEC Championship game en route to defeating conference rival LSU, maintaining the Gamecocks undefeated record, and securing the SEC Conference Tournament MVP honor.
Building off her momentum, today, she added to her already impressive resume of NIL partnerships by signing a shoe deal with the Curry Brand – a segment of Under Armour that features shoes and apparel from four-time NBA Champion and two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry.
Fulwiley joins Sacramento King’s De’Aaron Fox as the second basketball player to sign with the Curry brand. The deal will span multiple years where she will serve as a brand ambassador, help promote product launches, and will license her NIL for exclusive colorways for upcoming Curry Brand shoe releases.
The partnership between Curry Brand and Fulwiley is tailor-made. Growing up, Fulwiley was well acquainted with the Warriors phenom, as she competed in AAU basketball for Team Curry based out of Charlotte, North Carolina, only two hours from her home and eventual college town of Columbia, South Carolina.
In a statement by Curry made to Boardroom he describes the South Carolina standout as “a unique talent and an unbelievable ambassador for the game of basketball, obviously with strong Carolina ties … We are thrilled to welcome her into the family.” Curry further goes on to celebrate the talents of his newest addition to the brand: “I think her style of play is changing the women’s game on the fly. It’s super unique and creative. . . She’s got just a flow about her on the floor that I don’t think people have seen for a very long time.”
Beyond the Carolina roots, the University of South Carolina is a flagship program for Under Armour’s collegiate apparel licensing program. The collegiate apparel sponsorship landscape is dominated by Nike; currently, Under Armour is only established at eight Power 5 institutions. While Under Armour does not match the volume of industry rival Nike, the decision to partner with an emerging star at one of their institutions is a solid move.
NIL legislation in all jurisdictions forbids players to sign on-court NIL agreements with companies that conflict with institutional apparel contracts. While athletes can still sign off-court deals with conflicting companies, they are unable to wear the apparel while engaging in team activity. These restrictions have led to partnerships like New Balance’s with Kentucky’s Justin Edwards that lacks the feel of a traditional shoe deal as Edwards is required to wear Nike shoes during competition. Under Armour, Curry Brand, and Fulwiley will not have to worry about such legal and logistical complexities, as this deal aligns with the current University of South Carolina apparel contract.
As Curry Brand continues to grow it will be interesting to see what other athletes at both the professional and collegiate level join his elite roster. With schools like Notre Dame, Auburn, and Utah under contract with Under Armour there is no shortage of talent for Curry brand to pull from at the NIL level. For now, Fulwiley will remain the sole collegiate ambassador as she attempts to put the finishing touches on an undefeated season in the March Madness Tournament.
