Kim Kardashian's SKIMs launches all-star NIL promotion with college basketball stars
Kim Kardashian – arguably the top name in pop culture – partnered with six of college basketball’s top players in a new NIL deal to promote SKIMS.
Kardashian released the deal on her social media platforms Monday to her nearly 460 million followers. The “SKIMS March All-Stars” campaign features Arizona’s Caleb Love, UConn’s Donovan Clingan, Kansas’ Hunter Dickinson, Duke’s Jared McCain, Kentucky’s Robert Dillingham and North Carolina’s Paxson Wojcik.
In a video released by Kardashian, the players are showcased promoting SKIM’s new men’s terry loungewear. Kardashian says in the post the new loungewear will be available to purchase on Thursday – just in time for the start of the NCAA Tournament.
Landon Goesling, the vice president of sales at TheLinkU which manages Houston-focused LinkingCoogs collective, also shared news that star guards LJ Cryer and Jamal Shead are going to appear in SKIMS ads.
An NIL brand expert called the move by Kardashian to execute NIL deals with some of the best players in college basketball “brilliant.”
“It will also open up these players to an entirely new audience that they’ve never been around before,” the expert said. “And it’s a massive audience in the hundreds of millions. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.”
Skims is an American shapewear and clothing brand co-founded by Kardashian, Emma Grede and Jens Grede. Skims has a focus on body positivity and inclusivity across the brand. The company was valued at over $4 billion in July 2023.
The timing of the release from Kardashian makes total sense, as several top brands are releasing deals around the start of the NCAA Tournament. In just the past week alone, top companies like GNC, Crossover Culture, Curry Brand, Aloft, Great Clips, Ritz, StubHub, Adidas and Morgan & Morgan announced campaigns as college basketball heads into its most impactful three weeks of the season.
Kim Kardashian deal features college hoops stars
It’s also no surprise that Kim Kardashian tapped the six players to do NIL deals with. Love, Clingan, Dickinson, McCain and Dillingham are some of the top performers in the country.
Love, who transferred from North Carolina, has already been named to multiple All-America teams at Arizona. He’s averaging 18.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists for the Wildcats, who earned a No. 2 seed in the West Region.
Clingan took college basketball by storm last year as a true freshman and was a key player in the Huskies’ run to the national championship. The 7-foot-2 sophomore hasn’t let up this season, averaging 12.5 points and 7.2 rebounds while shooting 63% from the field. He’s a key reason why the Huskies are the top seed in the East Region and many experts’ pick to win the title again.
Dickinson has made a big impact for KU since his transfer from Michigan. He was named the Big 12 Conference’s Newcomer of the Year and a first-team all-league pick this season. Dickinson missed the Big 12 Tournament with a shoulder injury. But coach Bill Self said Sunday he expects Dickinson to play in the NCAA Tournament.
McCain, Dillingham impact freshmen
Shead was recently named to The Sporting News All-America First Team and he’s a serious candidate for national player of the year award honors. The Cougars earned a No. 1 seed in the tournament largely because of Shead’s 13.1 points average.
McCain arrived at Duke as one of the nation’s top recruits, and he’s lived up to the hype this season. He’s averaging 13.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 31 minutes. McCain also features a massive social media presence of more than 2.8 million followers. That following, along with his Roster Value to the Blue Devils, allows him a $1.1 million On3 NIL Valuation. Duke is a four-seed in the South Region with a first-round matchup against Vermont.
Dillingham was another highly touted recruit in the 2023 class, and he, too, is doing big things on the college level. He’s averaging 15.4 points for the Wildcats, who earned a three-seed in the South Region and face Oakland. Dillingham is also expected to be an early pick in the NBA draft.