AXIA Time, NIL Store Launch Watch to Celebrate Purdue's Zach Edey
The NIL collectibles market continues to boom. Sport memorabilia companies have begun investing heavily in limited-run NIL merchandise, and collectors have snapped to pick up these pieces, seeing the long-term value in rare NIL collectibles. A one-of-one Caitlin Clark NIL card sold for $78,000, and a similar on-of-one Arch Manning card broke the Panini auction record at $102,500. Now, it is Zach Edey’s turn to sell limited merchandise.
While the Purdue center has yet to have a limited sports card reach the five-figure threshold, through his partnership with the Purdue NIL Store, the back-to-back Naismith Player of the Year is releasing a unique product: a 150-piece limited-run watch commemorating his historic two-year run. The only other players to win multiple Naismith Awards are NBA Hall of Fame centers Bill Walton and Ralph Sampson –– not bad company.
The limited edition watch will be from AXIA, which, in a newly minted partnership, is the “Official Timepiece of The Naismith Awards.” The watch will sell for $1,500 on both the Purdue NIL Store - exclusively for the first 48 hours - and the AXIA website. It comes with an autographed wood display box and a custom engraving.
"Each aspect of the watch represents all who helped me on my journey: teammates, coaches, family, friends and fans," Edey said in a statement. "None of the success we had could have been possible without them."
🕰️ Limited Edition Timepiece 🕰️
— Purdue NIL Store (@PurdueNILStore) May 8, 2024
Available at the Purdue NIL Store for a limited time only, support the Naismith Player of the Year with this commemorative piece! Only 150 available!https://t.co/1DBWw3ba67#PurdueNIL #ZachEdey #NPOY pic.twitter.com/O06tu8jXgt
"Zach's accomplishments on the court the past two seasons have been remarkable, putting him in elite company in terms of Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy repeat winners," said Eric Oberman, president of the Atlanta Tipoff Club, the nonprofit organization that manages the Naismith Awards. "It seems only fitting that he is involved in this timepiece to mark this moment."
The NIL Store further provides details of the watch: “The design of Zach Edey Purdue Naismith Limited Edition Commemorative Timepiece timepiece focuses on the logos and colors of Purdue and Naismith with additional details that make it extra special for the Boilermaker faithful: A chapter ring that reads “15 BACK TO BACK” around the hour marks, the Naismith player icon embossed on the dial and crown, and the Purdue P on the steel bracelet buckle. This Swiss made automatic (self-winding) timepiece features a 43.5mm brushed stainless-steel case with a screw-down crown.”
The unique partnership between AXIA and the Purdue NIL Store will turn heads. The Purdue NIL Store is one of many Campus Ink’s NIL Store Network storefronts. With Duke, UConn, and Iowa also a part of the NIL Store network, can we see other Naismith Award winners: Cooper Flagg, Dan Hurley, and Caitlin Clark enshrined similarly? It certainly appears the collectibles market is craving it.
NOAH HENDERSON
Professor Noah Henderson teaches in the sport management department at Loyola University Chicago. Outside the classroom, he advises companies, schools, and collectives on Name, Image, and Likeness best practices. His academic research focuses on the intersection of law, economics, and social consequences regarding college athletics, NIL, and sports gambling. Before teaching, Prof. Henderson was part of a team that amended Illinois NIL legislation and managed NIL collectives at the nation’s most prominent athletic institutions while working for industry leader Student Athlete NIL. He holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois College of Law in Urbana-Champaign and a Bachelor of Economics from Saint Joseph’s University, where he was a four-year letter winner on the golf team. Prof. Henderson is a native of San Diego, California, and a former golf CIF state champion with Torrey Pines High School. Outside of athletics, he enjoys playing guitar, hanging out with dogs, and eating California burritos. You can follow him on Twitter: @NoahImgLikeness.