Commentary
Remarkable And 'Most Marketable' NCAA Basketball Stars
- by Richard Whitman , Columnist, March 27, 2025
Four years ago the Supreme Court ruled that college athletes were entitled to earn money from their names, images and likenesses, lifting a longstanding ban imposed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
Since that time, brands have increasingly embraced college stars to help promote their products.
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Just in time for the “Sweet 16” portion of the NCAA’s basketball championship series, Platinum Rye Entertainment, part of Omnicom’s Dallas-based TMA, has compiled a list of the “most marketable” men’s and women’s stars in this year's tournament.
On the men’s side the list includes (in alphabetical order):
Walter Clayton Jr (Florida), who has partnered with State Farm and Celsius.
Cooper Flagg (Duke), who has recently gained media attention in his national spot with AT&T. He also has endorsements with New Balance, Gatorade, and Fanatics.
PJ Haggerty (Memphis), who has struck numerousdeals with brands including DoorDash, C4 Energy, and Cava.
Braden Smith (Purdue), who has drawn lots of interest from brands including his latest deal with Stanley.
Mark Sears (Alabama) who has attracted numerousdeals from brands including DoorDash, C4 Energy, and Cava.
Since the 2023 season, viewership for NCAA Women’s Basketball is up 17%. Fans have been drawn to programs, but more specifically, individual talent. A few players have separated themselves based on their play on the floor, and brands have aligned with them to cater to fans as a result.
The women’s list includes:
Paige Bueckers (UConn), who has been featured on the cover of GQ magazine, and who has partnerships with Intuit, Gatorade, and Bose.
Flau'jae Johnson (LSU), who in addition to being a star player has added “music artist” to her personal brand. She is a brand ambassador for Powerade, Samsung, and Wendy’s.
Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame) who is among the top three in the nation in scoring, and she recently headlined Slam Magazine’s cover heading into the women’s tournament. Her endorsements include Red Bull, Ulta, and CVS.
Hailey Van Lith (TCU), who has the third largest Instagram following among NCAA women athletes. She is a brand ambassador for Gatorade and she has a commercial with Adidas.
JuJu Watkins (USC), who before her season-ending injury was the Wooden Award favorite this year. She has multi-year deals with Nike and Fanatics.
And Platinum also cites a “bonus name to watch”: Amir Khan, a student manager at McNeese State, which clinched a 12-seed slot in the
tournament after winning the Southland Conference Championship. According to the agency, “Amir’s outgoing personality and energy landed him numerous NIL and marketing deals, some of which
include Buffalo Wild Wings, TurboTax, and even his own Topps trading card."
Pictured above is Cooper Flagg in an ad For AT&T.
