Jordan Burks gifts teammates, John Calipari, Drake with leather goods
We’re a few years into the name, image, and likeness (NIL) era of college sports, but it’s still neat to see how players spend their hard-earned dollars. Kentucky freshman Jordan Burks chose to treat his teammates and coaches as part of one of his NIL deals. Burks gifted the entire team and coaching staff, including John Calipari, with leather bags and wallets from Prime Society, a luxury leather goods retailer. Yesterday, he shared a video on Instagram of himself handing out the bags, which are all Kentucky blue and customized with the players’ names and numbers.
“I feel incredibly grateful to consider you all as my family, and I am willing to give my all to support and defend you,” Burks wrote in the caption. “I am fully prepared to face any challenges alongside you, Big Blue. Also, I would like to express my gratitude to Prime Society for assisting me in creating something extraordinary for my teammates and coaches.”
Burks was a late addition to Kentucky’s roster, committing in June. The four-star forward was originally committed to Ole Miss but backed off that pledge following the firing of Kermit Davis. He led Overtime Elite (OTE) in scoring last season with 27.1 points to go along with 7.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. When Burks committed to Kentucky, he said being a Wildcat was a childhood dream. Now realized, he’s making the most of his opportunity, coming off the bench to plug holes in Kentucky’s makeshift frontcourt. He had seven points (3-3 FG) and three rebounds in just 12 minutes last night vs. New Mexico State, a plus/minus efficiency of +20.
“Jordan Burks is a guy that — I talk to him all day long,” Fifth-year forward Tre Mitchell said last week. “Practice, game. I’m in constant interaction with him because he’s new to it. [The freshmen] are all new to it, but Jordan is out of position.”
“On top of that, he’s like a sponge. He’s really like a sponge,” Mitchell added. “He takes all the information in and he applies it immediately.”
Burks gets a bag for Drake too
Two people who do not need any more luxury leather goods are John Calipari and Drake; however, Burks made sure to get gifts for them too. (As you probably remember, Kentucky visited Drake’s mansion in Toronto on their day off during the GLOBL Jam this past summer.)
“You don’t need to do that,” John Calipari said when Burks handed him the gifts.
“Everything you do for me, I got one for you and Drake,” Burks said.
“I appreciate you,” Calipari said.
As a Kentucky fan ready for a fun season, I appreciate this content.
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