LSU's Angel Reese stars in commercial with Karl-Anthony Towns, Zion Williamson in NIL deal with Starry
Angel Reese is now using her “you can’t see me” gesture in commercials, thanks to name, image and likeness.
The LSU women’s basketball player and social media influencer launched a new NIL partnership Thursday, promoting the soft drink Starry next to NBA players Karl-Anthony Towns and Zion Williamson.
Part of the brand’s “3IsGreaterThan2” campaign, the video released on Instagram features the three athletes chatting about Starry and 3-pointers.
“Better than a buzzer beater 3,” Reese reads off the can as she cracks it open.
“Angel, that my Starry!” Williamson responds.
Reese quickly shoots the New Orleans Pelicans star a look before throwing the “you can’t see me” motion at him. The video then moves to the history of the creation of the 3-point shoot. The ad transitions to a young actor impersonating Denver Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray hitting a 3 in the driveway, then pans to Murray in an NBA arena.
The 6-foot-3 forward led LSU to its first national title back in April. In the final seconds of the championship game, Reese directed the “you can’t see me” movement at Iowa‘s Caitlin Clark. The move turned into a national story, but Reese has made it clear since then that there is no hate between the two college basketball stars.
A lemon-lime soft drink distributed in the United States by PepsiCo, Starry just started being distributed in January. The hope is the soda will compete with Sprite and 7 Up.
Working with NBA stars in endorsement deals will only benefit Reese’s brand with the added social media exposure. It’s one of the few times a high school or college athlete has done work with professional athletes. Duke signee Jared McCain has a partnership with Champ’s Sports that put him in a commercial with Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Angel Reese’s massive NIL brand
Nicknamed the “Bayou Barbie” for her on-court demeanor and eyelash extensions and long pink nails, Reese has embraced college athletics’ NIL era. She filed to trademark the nickname and has been openly campaign for a partnership with the Mattel toy company.
She agreed to an ambassador deal with the with hair care brand Mielle last week. And she is one of the first college athletes to appear in SI Swimsuit.
Averaging a double-double on the court this past season, she joined her teammates at Raising Cane’s as part of an endorsement deal days after the national title, serving LSU students during the lunch hour. Along with Flau’jae Johnson, the duo released limited edition jerseys through Campus Ink. She had an appearance at Dick’s Sporting Goods in Baton Rouge, too. Leaf Trading Cards released an autographed card as well.
The “Bayou Barbie” also inked an endorsement deal with Caktus AI in April. The company has dumped marketing dollars into the NIL space, previously working with LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne, Miami‘s Cavinder twins and San Diego State‘s Matt Bradley.
Represented by Jeanine Ogbonnaya, the first-team All-American is not going anywhere. She has at least one more season at LSU until the WNBA draft. The Tigers have been agressive this offseason, too, landing two of the top prospects in the transfer portal.
“She’s not just a student-athlete anymore or a marketable women’s basketball player where we’re doing these one-off deals,” Ogbonnaya previously told On3. “I think at this point, she’s got the following to back it up where she can be doing long-term partnerships that truly align with her brand and her messaging, and finding those brands that align with that as well.”
Angel Reese has an On3 NIL Valuation of $1.4 million, which is No. 1 in women’s college basketball and 10th in the On3 NIL 100. Her valuation has increased 253% over the past 10 weeks.
The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college athletes. A proprietary algorithm, the On3 NIL Valuation calculates an athlete’s NIL value using dynamic data points targeting three primary categories: performance, influence and exposure.