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LSU's Angel Reese Signs Exclusive Partnership with Panini America

SEC Player of the Year, NIL superstar begins WNBA journey with first new marketing deal

Michael Ehrlich

Mar 30, 2024; Albany, NY, USA; LSU Tigers forward Angel Reese (10) reacts to a foul call against the UCLA Bruins during the second half in the semifinals of the Albany Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at MVP Arena.
Mar 30, 2024; Albany, NY, USA; LSU Tigers forward Angel Reese (10) reacts to a foul call against the UCLA Bruins during the second half in the semifinals of the Albany Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at MVP Arena. / Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

As her legendary college career has come to a close, LSU superstar and NIL trailblazer Angel Reese has signed her first deal ahead of the WNBA Draft. The “Bayou Barbie” has collaborated with Panini America on an exclusive partnership that includes memorabilia and autographed trading cards. To celebrate the announcement on Wednesday, Panini will launch an Instant card, Reese's first product with the brand.

Once Reese is drafted by her new WNBA team on April 15, Panini will release a new Instant WNBA Draft Night trading card. She will also be included in Panini’s collegiate and WNBA products including WNBA Origins, WNBA Select Basketball and WNBA Prizm.

“I’m excited to join Panini as an exclusive athlete for autograph trading cards and memorabilia,” Reese said.  “As a little girl growing up you always dream of playing basketball and getting your first trading card – I can’t wait for fans everywhere to be able to start collecting my Panini cards.”

Reese led LSU women's basketball to their first-ever National Championship a season ago and was named the Most Outstanding Player, taking the nation by storm. This year, while building a polarizing and groundbreaking NIL personal brand, Reese led the Tigers in both scoring and rebounding and finished as the SEC Player of the Year. The Tigers fell to Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the Elite Eight in a rematch of last year's National Championship.

The expected top-10 pick joins Clark as a Panini exclusive athlete ahead of the WNBA Draft. NIL partners of the brand include Texas quarterbacks Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning, Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and wide receiver Rome Odunze, Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton, USC wide receiver Zachariah Branch and Nebraska volleyball star Lexi Rodriguez, among others.

Reese's robust NIL brand roster features the likes of Reebok, Beats by Dre, ZOA Energy, Amazon and Goldman Sachs, who aired a commercial during the tournament featuring Reese and her mother.

The WNBA Draft tips off on April 15 at 7:30 PM ET on ESPN.

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Michael Ehrlich
MICHAEL EHRLICH

Michael Ehrlich is a seasoned sports marketing executive with experience across the global sports brand, athlete representation, media and education sides of the business. The Founder and CEO of Playbook Marketing, Ehrlich consults with brands on all things NIL and athlete partnerships, advises student-athletes on their personal brand building endeavors and is an adjunct professor at his alma mater, the University of Southern California where he teaches a course on athlete communications and marketing. As a writer, his previous bylines include Boardroom, Business of College Sports, DIME Magazine and UPROXX, among others. You can follow him across social media at @MichaelEhrlich and reach out via michael@playbook-marketing.com

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