Bronny James officially licensed USC Nike jersey now sold at Dicks Sporting Goods
USC’s Bronny James is unlike any college basketball player we may ever see.
Not many 19-year-olds star in Fast & Furious franchise advertisements or appear in Beats by Dre commercials before high school graduation.
The oldest son of NBA superstar LeBron James has 13.5 million followers and growing on social media and NIL deals with PSD Underwear, Nike and others. Klutch Sports Group – the sports agency founded by sports agent Rich Paul –also signed James to an NIL representation contract.
Now that the college basketball season has tipped off and James is a part of the Trojans’ roster, we’re seeing another example of the power of James’ NIL brand.
James’ officially licensed Trojans basketball jersey was released by Nike last week.
Nike has James’ jersey in both home and away colorways, which retail at $90 at Dick’s Sporting Goods. The jerseys feature his name and No. 6 on the back. The release comes after James’ official Nike short-sleeved T-shirt quickly sold out in September.
There are other Nike NIL jerseys available through retailers like Fanatics and through other official school retailers. But having your jersey sold by Dicks Sporting Goods’ massive online store and its more than 800 locations across the country is a perfect example of how marketable James is to fans.
It’s a rare territory reserved for only the top college basketball players with massive followings. Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, UConn’s Paige Bueckers and USC’s Juju Watkins also have their Nike NIL jerseys for sale at Dick’s.
Bronny James’ massive NIL brand
Bronny James is clearly one of the big winners since the NIL Era started in 2021.
He’s taken a page from his father’s playbook and done a masterful job of using his name, image and likeness. He could have easily signed NIL deals with a long list of national brands, but he’s been savvy about his partnerships.
Brand experts tell On3 that smart business sense is a big reason why his NIL deals – like this one with Nike that put his jerseys in Dicks locations across the country – have a significant impact.
All that, combined with his on-court success as one of the nation’s top incoming freshmen, has positioned James with a $5.9 million On3 NIL Valuation. That ranks No. 1 in the On3 NIL 100, the first of its kind and defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation.
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.
About On3 NIL Valuation, Brand Value, Roster Value
While the algorithm includes deal data, it does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals athletes have completed to date, nor does it set an athlete’s NIL valuation for their entire career. The On3 NIL Valuation calculates the optimized NIL opportunity for athletes relative to the overall NIL market and projects out to as long as 12 months into the future.
Bronny James still recovering
In late July, Bronny James was taken to the hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest during a workout on campus. After the incident, the former McDonald’s All-American arrived at the hospital conscious and stable and was discharged shortly thereafter.
The family’s statement revealed that the condition is treatable, and the goal was to get James back on the court in the “very near future.” However, he did miss the Trojans’ season-opener earlier this week against Kansas State. But we’re starting to get a clearer picture of when James will return.
“Bronny James is going to get a checkup at the end of the month, according to LeBron James,” ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported. “If he’s cleared, he will practice with the intention to return to game action for USC this season.”