Five-Star Plus+ guard Tre Johnson signs with LIFT Sports Management for NIL representation
Tre Johnson made the decision five days ago to transfer to Link Academy in Missouri. The Five-Star Plus+ guard and No. 3 prospect in the 2024 recruiting class is leaving Texas Class 6A state champion Lake Highlands for his senior year.
He will be able to profit off his NIL since it is a private school, despite the Missouri State High School Activities Association prohibiting activity. A new state law does allow for high schoolers to enter into NIL deals and start earning endorsement money as soon as they sign with in-state colleges
And he will have NIL representation for his final season of high school ball. Johnson has signed with LIFT Sports Management, the agency announced on Twitter on Tuesday. Heitner Legal assisted with the deal. The 6-foot-5, 180 shooting guard has already been projected as a lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
It’s unknown is if the move to Link Academy in Branson, Missouri, was completely fueled by NIL. Signing an agent shortly after sends a message, though. Founded in 2020 by former NBA player Mike Miller, LIFT Sports works with a number of college and professional players including Coleman Hawkins and Keyonte George.
LIFT brought on Kevin Bradbury as its head of basketball last month, adding Patrick Beverley and Paolo Banchero among other clients.
Johnson released his top six of Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, Kansas, Kentucky and Texas last month. He told On3’s Joe Tipton he isn’t in a rush to commit, but he is aiming to make a decision before late-July’s EYBL’s Peach Jam.
“Relationships and who is already going in my class,” Johnson said when asked what played a factor. “Transfer portal a little bit too.”
His decision to leave the Dallas-Fort Worth area puts him on one of the top high school basketball programs. He averaged 21.8 points and 6.4 rebounds as a junior this past season for Lake Highlands. Link finished with a 27-1 record, winning Geico Nationals. The shooting guard joins a roster that will include 2025 four-star point guard Aaron Rowe and 2024 four-star small forward Jalen Shelley.
Known as a knockdown shooter, he has deep range with the ability to make shots off the catch or the bounce. He will represent USA Basketball in the 2023 FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup later this month.
Tre Johnson’s On3 NIL Valuation
The shooting guard has a $533,000 On3 NIL Valuation, which ranks No. 11 in the high school basketball NIL rankings. His valuation is No. 93 in the On3 NIL 100, which is the first of its kind and defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation.
Tre Johnson already has more than 24,000 social media followers, making him attractive to brands. A strong senior season and commitment will only grow his platform.
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.