South Carolina Basketball: Big NIL Deals for GG Jackson, Aliyah Boston

The South Carolina athletics department and, therefore, the South Carolina basketball team, are sponsored by Under Armour. Under Armour officially began outfitting South Carolina basketball, football, and all other sports in 2007. It only makes sense, then, that the sports apparel company just inked deals with South Carolina basketball’s two biggest stars GG Jackson and Aliyah Boston.

On3’s Pete Nakos is reporting that the NIL deal is centered around replica jerseys of the two college stars. Because of the NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) rules in modern college athletics, both Jackson and Boston will be able to earn money through the sales of these jerseys and even by signing jerseys after they are initially purchased.

Nakos reminds readers in his article that the South Carolina women’s basketball team already has a deal in place for “shirzees” or jersey shirts that have the players’ names and numbers printed on them. The t-shirts that resemble jerseys are available for the entire team, and the team profits off of the sale of these shirzees.

Aliyah Boston is expected to be the #1 pick in this year’s WNBA Draft, and GG Jackson is slated to be selected somewhere in the first round of the NBA Draft this summer. Because of this, it would be a surprise to see either of them return to Columbia for another season of Gamecock basketball. However, if there is any chance of either Boston or Jackson donning garnet and black during the 2023-2024 basketball season, NIL deals will be a factor. The financial incentives of the NIL deals could potentially sway either Boston or Jackson to return for another season. It is important to remember, however, that most NIL deals can just be viewed as traditional endorsement contracts when the student-athletes are no longer in school.