University of Connecticut basketball standout Paige Bueckers broke further ground in the “name, image and likeness” era of college sports endorsements this week by signing a multiyear deal with Gatorade.
The sports drinks company, well-known over the years for its advertising campaigns with high-profile professional athletes such as Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter, Dwayne Wade and Tiger Woods, announced the partnership with Bueckers through social media on Monday. She is Gatorade’s first college endorser ever, following a rule change by the National Collegiate Athletic Association last summer allowing college players to receive compensation beyond scholarships for use of their name, image or likeness in commercial promotional materials.
Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
“It was a blessing to win Gatorade Player of the Year in high school, and now it’s truly surreal to be an official member of the Gatorade Family,” Bueckers said in a statement. “I know this is just the beginning of our partnership and can’t wait to get to work with Gatorade to drive impact in the community and on the women’s game.”
Earlier this month, Bueckers signed the first NIL deal of her career, with e-commerce platform StockX.
Bueckers, who received numerous most-valuable-player accolades during her freshman year with UConn, was always expected to be one of the top beneficiaries of the NCAA’s NIL rule change, with sports marketing firm Opendorse estimating in August that she could earn as much as $1 million per year through endorsement deals
Aside from her visibility within women’s college basketball, Bueckers also has a sizable following on social media, which industry observers have said will be key for any college athlete looking to leverage their talents into NIL contracts.
