Prep hoops star, 17, to earn 'millions' in NIL deal with Excel

Field Level Media
22 Jul 2021, 20:10 GMT+10

High school basketball phenom and social media star Mikey Williams could earn "millions" in a historic name, image and likeness deal announced Thursday with Excel Sports management.

The 17-year-old shooting guard from San Diego is rated as the No. 7 overall prospect in the Class of 2023 by ESPN and won't be eligible for the NBA Draft until 2024.

Williams, who will attend Lake Norman Christian in Huntersville, N.C., this season and play for Vertical Academy, is the first prep basketball player to sign with a sports agency to pursue NIL endorsements and sponsorships.

"I am excited to be the first high school athlete to make this move," Williams told ESPN. "I love to hoop and I love engaging with my fans and look forward to continuing to share my journey with everyone."

Including the likelihood of a major shoe deal, Excel vice president Matt Davis told ESPN he believes the deal "will generate millions of dollars for this young man."

Williams has more than 5 million followers across the social media platforms Instagram, TikTok and Twitter, Excel said in a news release on Thursday.

"Thanks to a combination of hoops, hustle and swag, Mikey is one of the most engaging elite youth athletes with a reputation and skillset that is off the charts," read the statement from Excel. "He represents today's zeitgeist, with a community of followers he has developed through creative, curated and compelling content."

Williams, who is 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, is a consensus five-star recruit and is ranked No. 5 in the 2023 class by the 247 Sports composite.

--Field Level Media

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