{"id":1203355383,"date":"2022-10-10T12:00:10","date_gmt":"2022-10-10T16:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/footwearnews.com\/?p=1203355383"},"modified":"2022-10-10T11:34:48","modified_gmt":"2022-10-10T15:34:48","slug":"lebron-james-son-bronny-james-nike-nil-deal-student-athlete","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/footwearnews.com\/shoes\/outdoor-footwear\/lebron-james-son-bronny-james-nike-nil-deal-student-athlete-1203355383\/","title":{"rendered":"Nike Basketball Signs LeBron James’ Son Bronny James and Several Other Student Athletes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nike Basketball has signed five student athletes to its ambassador roster, including the eldest son of NBA star LeBron James.<\/p>\n

The newest signees to its student athlete roster include Bronny James, Caitlin Clark, Haley Jones,\u00a0DJ Wagner\u00a0and\u00a0JuJu Watkins. Signing these student athletes, according to Nike<\/a>,\u00a0is part of the company’s mission to serve the future of athletes and sport by teaming up with “inspiring young athletes who are leading the way now \u2014 both on the court and in their communities.”<\/p>\n

Through this partnership, Bronny James<\/a>, a senior point guard from Sierra Canyon High School in Los Angeles, aims to continue to “support the LeBron James Family Foundation and positively impact communities that matter most to him.”<\/p>\n

“For as long as I can remember, Nike\u2019s been a part of my family. Getting a chance to team up with them and continue my family\u2019s legacy both on the court and in the community is wild \u2014 it really means a lot to me,” Bronny James said in a statement.<\/p>\n

As for Clark, although her career is young, the junior point guard at the University of Iowa has already racked up several accolades. Clark is a consensus first-team All-American in 2022, as well as the 2021-22 Big Ten Player of the Year and the 2022 Naismith Trophy finalist. Also, Clark is the first to win the Dawn Staley Guard of the Year Award two years in a row and is the only D1 women\u2019s basketball player to lead the country in both assists per game and points per game in a season.<\/p>\n

“I grew up watching Nike athletes across all sports play their game. They have inspired me to work hard and make a difference. I\u2019m humbled to be part of this first Nike basketball class and passionate about inspiring the next,” Clark said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Jones, who is a senior guard at Stanford University, has also accomplished quite a bit in her young basketball career. Jones is also an NCAA champion, earning the NCAA Tournament Final Four Most Outstanding Player award during the victory in 2021.<\/p>\n

“Basketball has given me so much over the years. I\u2019m excited about the opportunity this partnership presents \u2014 to give back to my community in more ways than I ever imagined possible,” Jones said in a statement.<\/p>\n

The remaining two ballers Nike<\/a> has signed are both rising high school stars.<\/p>\n

DJ Wagner, a point guard from Camden High School in Camden, N.J., is\u00a0the son of former NBA player Dajuan Wagner and grandson of former NBA player Milt Wagner. Aside from his skills on the court, off the court he is established an annual community giveback program that provides book bags with school supplies to thousands of local kids.<\/p>\n

“I\u2019ve seen the impact this game \u2014 and the people who play it \u2014 can have on the community, and I\u2019m looking forward to taking it to the next level with Nike in Camden and beyond,” DJ Wagner said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Watkins, a senior guard who plays ball at Sierra Canyon High School in Los Angeles, is the 2021-22 California Gatorade Player of the Year and the 2021-22 MaxPreps National Player of the Year. Off the court,\u00a0Watkins volunteers with the Watts Labor Community Action Committee, as well as youth basketball camps and youth programs. Also, she supports local food banks, toy drives and her sister\u2019s nonprofit. With Nike, the brand said Watkins will help revitalize basketball spaces across L.A. and “redefine the future of women’s basketball.”<\/p>\n

“My family\u2019s always given back to the community and now it\u2019s my turn. With Nike\u2019s support, I know I can make a difference. I can\u2019t wait to share my love for the game with young athletes in Los Angeles \u2014 especially in the Watts community \u2014 and around the world,” Watkins said in a statement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Aside from Bronny James, Nike’s student athlete signings include Caitlin Clark, Haley Jones,\u00a0DJ Wagner\u00a0and\u00a0JuJu Watkins.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":82410116,"featured_media":1203355435,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"authors":[],"contributors":[],"styled_by":[],"_image_credit":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","pmc_selected_wwd_video_media":"","pmc_top_video_source":"","pmc_top_video_duration":"","wwd_top_video_source":"","wwd_top_video_duration":"","pmc_selected_featured_media":"","pmc_selected_video_media":"","pmc_selected_variety_video_media":"","variety_top_video_source":"","variety_top_video_duration":"","pmc_featured_media_has_alt_text":false,"_pmc_featured_animated_media_id":0,"_pmc_featured_video_override_data":"","_pmc_featured_video_override_url":"","pmc-gallery-linked-gallery":{},"pmc_list_item_description":"","primary_category":"","primary_vertical":"","_mt_pmc_exclude_from_seo":"off","pmc-gallery":[],"categories":0,"subcategories":0,"mt_seo_title":"Nike Basketball Signs Bronny James\u00a0& 4 Other Student Athletes","mt_seo_description":"Nike Basketball signs 5 student athletes including LeBron James's son Bronny James, Caitlin Clark, Haley Jones,\u00a0DJ Wagner\u00a0and\u00a0JuJu Watkins.","mt_pmc_exclude_from_seo":"off","_pmc_canonical_override":"","instant_articles_should_submit_post":false,"_sailthru_selected_alerts":[],"_sailthru_send_override":false,"_sailthru_alert_subject":"","_sailthru_breaking_news_meta_data":[],"experimental_features_inline_styles":"","linked_video_id":"","pmc_hubs_hide_header":false,"override_post_title":"","override_post_excerpt":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2022-10-10T15:25:29Z","apple_news_api_id":"11ef594b-e0b6-4419-ba8c-1c6e7615e1c8","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2022-10-10T16:00:44Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AEe9ZS-C2RBm6jBxudhXhyA","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","_pmc_automated_related_links":{"settings":{"module_name":"Related","hide_box":0},"data":[{"url":"","id":"","title":"","automated":true},{"url":"","id":"","title":"","automated":true},{"url":"","id":"","title":"","automated":true}]},"overlay_text_placement":[],"overlay_text_one":[],"overlay_text_two":[],"kicker_meta_block_field":[],"_pmc_kicker":[],"pmc_multiple_products_title":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[17581464,630],"tags":[1985,378240104,378240376,378240020],"post_format":[],"_post-options":[],"pmc_ads_suppression":[],"editorial":[],"ep_custom_result":[],"coauthors":[326576910],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Nike Basketball Signs LeBron James’ Son Bronny James and Several Other Student Athletes","url":"http:\/\/footwearnews.com\/shoes\/outdoor-footwear\/lebron-james-son-bronny-james-nike-nil-deal-student-athlete-1203355383\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/footwearnews.com\/shoes\/outdoor-footwear\/lebron-james-son-bronny-james-nike-nil-deal-student-athlete-1203355383\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/footwearnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/nike-basketball-nil-deals.jpg?w=150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/footwearnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/nike-basketball-nil-deals.jpg"},"articleSection":"Outdoor Footwear","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Peter Verry"}],"creator":["Peter Verry"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Footwear News","logo":"https:\/\/footwearnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/cropped-fn_favicon2.png"},"keywords":["basketball","lebron james","nba","nike","shoes","outdoor footwear"],"dateCreated":"2022-10-10T16:00:10Z","datePublished":"2022-10-10T16:00:10Z","dateModified":"2022-10-10T16:00:10Z","pmc-gallery-linked-gallery":{}},"rendered":"