Dawn Staley has been synonymous with Nike for several years, with her shoes becoming popular since the 1990s, and it seems the collaboration will now be extending to the South Carolina Gamecocks too.
Dawn Staley was front and center of a new tease video shared by the South Carolina Gamecocks on social media, which comes in the light of a huge deal signed between the brand and the college.
The shoe was a teaser, and is a small part of a larger overall partnership between the Gamecocks and Nike, with a couple of women’s basketball stars from the university also involved in the new NIL deal.
“Blue Ribbon Elite, a first-of-its-kind initiative, represents a broad portfolio of athletes across disciplines, reimagining the NIL space by providing leading athletes and universities an unmatched level of collaboration that prioritizes the future of sport and athlete identity,” Nike said in its news release.
As a part of the program, Chloe Kitts and Joyce Edwards have become the two female college basketball stars involved with Nike, while South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers, WR Nyck Harbor and edge rusher Dylan Stewart are also part of the deal.
Nike is joining hands with South Carolina in a huge 10-year deal, as the program steps away from their older partnership with Under Armour.
Joyce Edwards and Chloe Kitts Comment on the Partnership
Both Joyce Edwards and Chloe Kitts shared their excitement about being associated with Nike.
“I’m excited to be one of South Carolina’s first Nike Blue Ribbon Elite athletes,” Chloe Kitts said, per Nike.
“Being part of Gamecock women’s basketball has given me a platform to create amazing partnerships, and this is another chance to partner with the best. Nike is an iconic brand that is globally known for making the best basketball footwear and apparel, and I can’t wait to get to see what we can do together.”
“It is great being connected to a brand I feel aligns with who I am, and I align with who they are,” Joyce Edwards said.
“Everyone knows Nike, and the mindset of ‘Just Do It’ really means something to me. It is the mindset you need to have, especially when you are competing at this level.”
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