Kansas forward KJ Adams Jr. signs with Priority Sports

Nakos updated headshotby:Pete Nakos04/26/23

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Kansas forward KJ Adams Jr. has signed with Priority Sports for NIL representation, the firm announced Wednesday afternoon.

A former four-star recruit, he averaged 10.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in his sophomore season. Adams is the second basketball player to sign with Priority Sports this week. The sports agency announced the signing Providence forward Bryce Hopkins on Tuesday.

Founded back in 1985 by Mark Bartelstein, a former investment banker at Morgan Stanley, the agency has offices in Atlanta, Chicago and Los Angeles. Specifically focusing on representing clients in the NBA and NFL, the firm also reprsents with coaches and broadcasters.

Priority has become a player in the NIL space, working with Purdue center and reigning Naismith Player of the Year Zach Edey, former Iowa forward Kris Murray and former North Carolina guard and recent Michigan transfer Caleb Love. The agency also represents football players, including Clemson wide receiver Beaux Collins and UCLA defensive back Devin Kirkwood.

KJ Adams’ growing NIL brand

Adams signed with the Kansas-focused Mass St. Collective back in January. He also participated in an NIL deal with MiniJerzeys, which was facilitated by the collective. MiniJerzeys is a provider of custom athletic apparel and merchandise. They specialize in team wear, NIL merchandise and miniature sports jerseys.

The 6-foot-7, 225-pound forward has also signed agreements with McDonald’s and the T-shirt company Charlie Hustle, too. A former top-100 recruit, he turned down offers from Baylor, Georgetown and LSU coming out of high school.

In his first year at Kansas in 2021-22, he played in every game as the Jayhawks won the national title. Winning Big 12 All-Freshman Team honors, he was used as a defender including the final 4.3 second of the title game against North Carolina.

Kansas finished this past season 28-8, earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Jayhawks fell in the second round of the tourney, however, in a shocking 72-71 loss to Arkansas. Adams is expected to be a key piece of a Jayhawks roster that had five players enter the transfer portal. They also lost Gradey Dick and Jalen Wilson to the NBA draft. Kevin McCullar Jr. has announced his intentions to enter the draft process but maintain his eligibility.

KJ Adams’ On3 NIL Valuation

With an active NIL portfolio, Adams has an $83,000 On3 NIL Valuation which ranks No. 102 in the college basketball NIL rankings. He has roughly 33,000 social media followers, too.

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.