Paige Bueckers (Photo via paigebueckers/IG)
UConn star Paige Bueckers has made NIL history as she’s set to release her very own Nike signature sneakers this week.
The sportswear company announced Bueckers as the first NIL athlete to design and launch a player edition sneaker on Monday, with the shoes, the Nike G.T. Hustle 3, to launch this coming Saturday.
“It’s definitely motivating to wear your own shoe,” Bueckers said in a statement. “I grew up wearing Nikes — all the signature shoes — so it’s surreal to have this player edition model. I just want to show out in it,” the Huskies guard said, per The Athletic.
You can see photos of the kicks in the post below:
Bueckers will see her signature sneaker launch ahead of Caitlin Clark’s, though she’s still in college. The Indiana Fever star signed an eight-year $28 million deal with Nike last spring and is expected to release her sneaker next year.
Paige Bueckers Is Rolling In It
Paige Bueckers signed her Nike deal in September 2023, having previously secured contracts with other top companies such as Gatorade, Bose, Dunkin’, and Chegg.
She also signed a deal with the Unrivaled women’s basketball league, which was founded by Breanna Stewart and Napheesea Collier and is set to debut early next year. Her early decision has seen her become the first NCAA athlete to get an ownership stake in a league.
Kansas City Chiefs President Forced To Address Rumors That Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce’s Relationship Is Just A “Marketing Strategy” For The Team
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce (Photo by Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)
There’s a conspiracy theory for just about everything, including bizarre ones relating to the highly publicized relationship between Grammy Award-winning singer Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
The three-time Super Bowl champion has been in a relationship with Taylor Swift for over a year. Their rumored romance was confirmed when Swift attended the Chiefs’ Week 3, 2023 home game against the Chicago Bears at Arrowhead Stadium.
Kelce’s romance with Swfit has been a giant win for the Chiefs and the NFL, too. She has brought plenty more attention to the NFL and contributed to the Chiefs’ skyrocketing popularity worldwide.
Naturally, conspiracy theorists believe the Travis Kelce-Taylor Swift romance is simply a marketing ploy to help the Chiefs and the league. But Chiefs president Mark Donovan finally addressed the ridiculous rumor during an appearance on NBC’s “Squawk Box” program:
“I’d love to say that it was a marketing strategy, but it is an authentic relationship. And we’re happy to have it, and it’s been nothing but good for us.
I think the best thing I can say about the whole relationship and the impact it’s had on us is, Taylor Swift is an authentic member of the Kansas City Chiefs kingdom. She’s an authentic fan and that matters to our fans and our fan base and to matters to us and we try to respect that.”