When Deja Kelly, a North Carolina guard, first learned that her partnership to model the Sports Illustrated swimwear from the Forever 21 collection was more than just a photo shoot or a social media post, she was unpretentious. I went to a store in Massachusetts with my mother.
They didn’t expect it to appear north because they weren’t sure if the ad was just local. Still there was. A display showing a 5’8 junior modeling a swimsuit at one of her favorite clothing stores.
“Of course, my mom is superfluous She tells the shop staff, “Everyone, this is my daughter.” That was also the moment she was proud of, “Kelly said. “It was really exciting to see myself in the store. I felt really honest and blessed. At that moment, the words were at a loss.”
Kelly continues to receive texts from his teammates and friends from his hometown of San Antonio, Texas, where he saw the display.
Women’s basketball fans should be accustomed to meeting Kelly, whether or not they shop at Forever 21. She has a chance to be one of the faces of women’s college basketball next season.
Kelly, who led UNC in scoring last season, Heels’ four starters are back from the team that made it to Sweet 16 last season.. Carolina is currently predicted to be the top 10 team in the preseason. If the heel meets expectations, Kelly will be the main reason.
“Now you’re all looking at you, so it’s going to be a challenge, and I think that’s what I’m looking forward to at the same time,” Kelly said. “I want to be that face for the younger generation. I want to be one of the top faces they see when watching college basketball.”
The only way she attacks her name, image, and portrait (NIL) opportunities, like how she attacks a slow defender, is to increase her brand. Kelly has approval agreements with several major brands, including her first secured Dunkin Donuts and Outback Steakhouse. She has capital in drink barcodes as part of a deal with them.
“I’ve always brought myself as a brand. I’ve always made sure that Deja Kelly is seen as a brand on and off the court,” she said. “So I think many of these NIL transactions could have influenced me.”
Kelly is represented by the WME agency, where her “team” handles the protection of all her transactions. She was able to separate her business from school and basketball and get everything done well without being overwhelmed.
Kelly said she first started planning branding in high school, even if she wasn’t sure if NIL’s roar would be approved while she could still benefit from it. She thought about three areas. How accurately she wants to brand herself, what audience she wants to reach, and what values she wants to open to the public.
“Everyone sees basketball players, everyone sees jerseys, sweatpants, hoodies, no one sees us as people,” Kelly said. “So I think NIL makes us a little more vulnerable and really makes it possible to show that side of us and what we believe and what we represent. And that’s great. I think that’s what I did. “
It’s just as big a problem for Kelly to include his teammates. After she won that her deal, she took them all outback for dinner. For last season’s NCAA tournament, she used a partnership with Beats by Dre to present personalized Carolina blue headphones to all her teammates and basketball staff. For the player, the headphones contained a jersey number and their personal notes.
“That basketball part creates a lot of these opportunities. They are my teammates. I hoop with them every day,” Kelly said. “So, in my head, they are a big part of my success and I couldn’t really do it without them, so to express my gratitude, they I thought it deserved something a little. “
But marketing doesn’t cast a shadow over her production. As a sophomore, Kelly led the heel with 16.5 points per game last season and was named to her first team, All-ACC. She has surpassed 20 points eight times, including the team’s highest 23 points in the 69-61 NCAA tournament defeat to final national champion South Carolina.
Like Kelly, UNC coach Courtney Bangart said she still has room to grow.
“Deja has grown significantly in all aspects of her habits in the first and second years, creating more elite habits, increasing court output and her efficiency,” Banhart said. Told. “She needs to jump again. That is, her goal is not to be a good college student. She is to be a great professional.”
Kelly aims to be a better facilitator after last season’s assist-to-turnover ratio of only 1.2. She also said she is working on improving the 3-point range as she expects her opponents to use longer defenders next season.
“My strength is a big part of my next career step, and I’m really trapped in the weight room and jumping in,” Kelly said. “It’s been a great result so far, so by the end of summer I think it will take my game to the next level.”
